Cyanide, first League of Legends world champion with Fnatic, has died

Former League of Legends world champion Lauri "Cyanide" Happonen has died at the age of 31. The Finnish player passed away on July 31, but his death only became public on October 26.

Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat broke the news. Finland's Digital and Population Data Services Agency confirmed Happonen's death. The cause has not been disclosed.

Cyanide made esports history in 2011, when he won the first League of Legends World Championship with Fnatic at just 16 years old. The tournament took place at the DreamHack festival in Jönköping, Sweden – long before Worlds grew into one of the biggest events in esports.

After the world title, Happonen stayed with Fnatic and became one of the key figures on the European scene. Between 2013 and 2014, he won three European league titles:

• LCS EU 2013 Spring Split

• LCS EU 2013 Summer Split

• LCS EU 2014 Spring Split

Over the course of his career, Cyanide played alongside some of the most recognizable names in League of Legends history, including Enrique "xPeke" Cedeño Martínez and Bora "YellOwStaR" Kim. The Finnish player later retired from professional competition.

YellOwStaR was among the first to react to the news of his former teammate's death. The French player posted a farewell message and recalled seeing Happonen at a League of Legends showmatch in July, just days before his death.

"Lauri was so much more than a teammate. 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."

Happonen is the second member of Fnatic's 2011 championship-winning roster to die.

In April 2025, Maciej "Shushei" Ratuszniak, who played alongside Cyanide at that first World Championship, died aged 36.