Cyanide, former Fnatic jungler and LoL World Champion, dies aged 31

The esports world is in mourning. On Monday, Finnish outlet Ilta-Sanomat reported the death of Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, one of League of Legends’ earliest legends. A former Fnatic player and, at the time of his 2011 victory, the youngest World Champion in the game’s history, Cyanide reportedly passed away at the age of 31 several months ago, on July 31. According to Ilta-Sanomat, the news was only recently confirmed to the outlet by Finland’s Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). No details have been disclosed regarding the circumstances of the former jungler’s death. Cyanide is the second member of Fnatic’s 2011 Worlds-winning roster to pass away, following Maciej “Shushei” Ratuszniak, who died in April 2025 at the age of 36 after battling cancer.

Cyanide helped shape the history of League of Legends in its early days. Following Worlds 2011, he became part of the first golden generation of Fnatic’s Orange and Black, alongside Paul “sOAZ” Boyer, Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez and Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim. Together, they established Fnatic as the dominant force in Europe, winning three EU LCS titles between 2013 and 2014. Cyanide subsequently stepped away from the top tier of competition before officially retiring at the end of 2022. A testament to the legacy he built in LoL’s formative years, he was among the players who took part in the EU LCS Classic Showmatch, held during Karmine Corp’s Roadtrip in France on July 25, 2026 — just six days before the reported date of his death.

Tributes began pouring in on social media shortly after the news broke. Among the first to pay their respects was one of his former teammates, YellOwStaR, who wrote: “Lauri was so much more than a teammate. We shared our everyday lives for over two and a half years, and he became so much more than just someone I played alongside. He was one of the kindest, most genuine souls I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. We saw each other again at the showmatch in July, and he was still full of dreams, plans, and projects for the future. You will be deeply missed, brother. Thank you for the memories, the time we shared, and for the person you were. Rest in peace, my bro.”

Other members of the scene, particularly those connected to the British organisation, also paid tribute to the Finnish player. “Undoubtedly helped shape the early scene to what it is today. Many of us became fans of the game and competitive scene due to players like him,” said Fabian “GrabbZ” Lohmann, Fnatic’s head coach. “I’m going to miss you, Cyanide. Without you, I would never have started watching LoL back in 2014,” wrote JordiLMK, a Fnatic co-streamer. Spanish League of Legends icon Antonio “Th3Antonio” Espinosa also shared his condolences: “Such a shame, gone so young… When I first got into the game, I would always watch the videos featuring him and xPeke at Fnatic. He always came across as a really great guy…”