Lauri “Cyanide” Happonen, the Finnish jungler who helped Fnatic win the first League of Legends World Championship, has died aged 31.
Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported the news on October 26, citing confirmation from Finland’s Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). Happonen died on July 31, 2026. The date of his death is separate from the date the news became public; the cause of death has not been disclosed.
A world champion at 16
Cyanide won the inaugural world championship with Fnatic in 2011, when he was just 16. He remained central to the organisation’s early success, reaching the Worlds semifinals in 2013 and winning three consecutive EU LCS titles across 2013 and 2014.
That later Fnatic era also featured sOAZ, xPeke and YellOwStaR. For a generation of European fans, those lineups were their introduction to professional League of Legends.
A final return to the stage in July
Happonen appeared in the EU LCS Classic showmatch on July 25, six days before his death. The event brought former European pros back together for a return to the game’s earlier era.
YellOwStaR was among those paying tribute after the news emerged. His former teammate remembered their years together and their reunion at the July showmatch, writing: “Lauri was so much more than a teammate.”