LoL World Champion Cyanide passes away at 31

Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, best known for his win at the League of Legends 2011 World Championship with Fnatic, has passed away at the age of 31. The community showed an outpour of love and support, recalling Cyanide’s mark in the professional League of Legends scene.

FNC Cyanide passes away, love and support pours from community

Fnatic shared the heartbreaking news on its official pages.

A separate source confirmed with the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency that Cyanide passed away on July 31st. The cause of death is unknown.

Many esports organizations, especially European ones, sent their support in the replies and quote posts. Among them were EU LCS OGs G2 Esports and SK Gaming.

Other players and personalities like Erberk “Gilius” Demir, Alex “Nymaera” Hapgood, Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles were also among those who shared their love for the iconic jungler.

His ex-teammate Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim shared a photo from one of Cyanide’s public appearances: the EU LCS League Classic Showmatch back in July 2026. “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,” wrote YellOwStar.

Cyanide was one of the greatest in Fnatic’s history, but more than that, he was an incredible person, a great teammate — always laughing and having fun.

We will never forget the Fnatic LoL early years & the legacy you created

Rest well Lauri 🧡🖤

– Sam Mathews, CEO and Founder, Fnatic

Many fans pointed out the tragic fact that this succeeds the passing of his teammate and fellow Worlds champion Maciej “Shushei” Ratuszniak.

Cyanide’s legacy

Cyanide garnered several titles during his four-year-long stint as a professional LoL player for Fnatic. His most notable achievement is, of course, lifting the Summoner’s Cup at the first-ever LoL Worlds.

He was a three-time EU LCS Champion. They took 2013 Spring, 2013 Summer, and 2014 Spring, all achieved with Fnatic. Afterwards, he took on the colors of Origen, before largely disappearing from the scene.

Cyanide then showed up in two showmatches afterwards, once in 2017 and then another time at the EU LCS League Classic showmatch in July 2026.

His humor and wit made him an iconic centerpiece of many LoL Esports-centric content back in his active days — a fact that many of his fellow players remembered well.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Cyanide’s family, friends, and loved ones in these trying times.