diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 33a87abf85..845c6050a8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ With this release the systemd configuration files for InfluxDB will use the syst
 - [#7080](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pull/7080): Ensure IDs can't clash when managing Continuous Queries.
 - [#6990](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/6990): Fix panic parsing empty key
 - [#7084](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/pull/7084): Tombstone memory improvements
+- [#6543](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/6543): Fix parseFill to check for fill ident before attempting to parse an expression.
 
 ## v0.13.0 [2016-05-12]
 
diff --git a/influxql/parser.go b/influxql/parser.go
index 049b8021af..c732441e90 100644
--- a/influxql/parser.go
+++ b/influxql/parser.go
@@ -2071,24 +2071,23 @@ func (p *Parser) parseDimension() (*Dimension, error) {
 // parseFill parses the fill call and its options.
 func (p *Parser) parseFill() (FillOption, interface{}, error) {
 	// Parse the expression first.
+	tok, _, lit := p.scanIgnoreWhitespace()
+	p.unscan()
+	if tok != IDENT || strings.ToLower(lit) != "fill" {
+		return NullFill, nil, nil
+	}
+
 	expr, err := p.ParseExpr()
 	if err != nil {
-		p.unscan()
-		return NullFill, nil, nil
+		return NullFill, nil, err
 	}
-	lit, ok := expr.(*Call)
+	fill, ok := expr.(*Call)
 	if !ok {
-		p.unscan()
-		return NullFill, nil, nil
-	}
-	if strings.ToLower(lit.Name) != "fill" {
-		p.unscan()
-		return NullFill, nil, nil
-	}
-	if len(lit.Args) != 1 {
+		return NullFill, nil, errors.New("fill must be a function call")
+	} else if len(fill.Args) != 1 {
 		return NullFill, nil, errors.New("fill requires an argument, e.g.: 0, null, none, previous")
 	}
-	switch lit.Args[0].String() {
+	switch fill.Args[0].String() {
 	case "null":
 		return NullFill, nil, nil
 	case "none":
@@ -2096,7 +2095,7 @@ func (p *Parser) parseFill() (FillOption, interface{}, error) {
 	case "previous":
 		return PreviousFill, nil, nil
 	default:
-		switch num := lit.Args[0].(type) {
+		switch num := fill.Args[0].(type) {
 		case *IntegerLiteral:
 			return NumberFill, num.Val, nil
 		case *NumberLiteral:
diff --git a/influxql/parser_test.go b/influxql/parser_test.go
index 4acd7d027d..b514cb57f7 100644
--- a/influxql/parser_test.go
+++ b/influxql/parser_test.go
@@ -2152,6 +2152,7 @@ func TestParser_ParseStatement(t *testing.T) {
 		{s: `SELECT count(foo + sum(bar)) FROM cpu`, err: `expected field argument in count()`},
 		{s: `SELECT (count(foo + sum(bar))) FROM cpu`, err: `expected field argument in count()`},
 		{s: `SELECT sum(value) + count(foo + sum(bar)) FROM cpu`, err: `binary expressions cannot mix aggregates and raw fields`},
+		{s: `SELECT mean(value) FROM cpu FILL + value`, err: `fill must be a function call`},
 		// See issues https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/1647
 		// and https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/4404
 		//{s: `DELETE`, err: `found EOF, expected FROM at line 1, char 8`},