According to the Finnish outlet Ilta-Sanomat, former professional League of Legends player Lauri "Cyanide" Happonen has died. Although the tragedy occurred on July 31, the news was only recently officially confirmed by Finland's Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The circumstances and causes of the former jungler's death have not been disclosed at this time.
Cyanide forever went down in the history of the discipline as the winner of the inaugural 2011 World Championship with Fnatic. At that time, he was only 16 years old, making him the youngest World Champion in the history of the game to this day. Alongside sOAZ, xPeke, and YellOwStaR, he formed Fnatic's first "golden generation," securing three EU LCS titles between 2013 and 2014. Lauri officially retired at the end of 2022.
Just six days before his passing, on July 25, 2026, Lauri participated in the classic EU LCS showmatch during the Karmine Corp event in France. It is worth noting that Cyanide is the second player from the 2011 Fnatic championship roster to pass away — previously, in April 2025, Maciej "Shushei" Ratuszniak died at the age of 36 after a battle with cancer.
The esports community is actively expressing its condolences. Former teammate YellOwStaR noted that at the July showmatch, Lauri was "full of dreams and plans," calling him a genuine person and someone much more than just a teammate. Fnatic coach GrabbZ, streamer JordiLMK, and Spanish player Th3Antonio also paid tribute to the Finn, emphasizing that because of players like him, many fell in love with competitive League of Legends.