League of Legends world champion, pioneer Lauri 'Cyanide' Happonen, dies at 31

Finnish media confirmed on Monday that Lauri "Cyanide" Happonen, League of Legends (LoL) Season 1 world champion and a legendary figure of the game, has passed away at the age of 31.

According to the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, the former professional LoL player died on July 31, as confirmed by the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The cause of Happonen's death has not yet been disclosed. His passing has come as a shock to the global esports community, as he was one of the most prominent and beloved figures in the game during its early stages of development.

Happonen gained widespread recognition when he won the LoL World Championship in 2011 with Fnatic at the age of 16. He went on to reach the semi-finals of the 2013 World Championship and secured three consecutive titles in the European league between 2013 and 2014.

Competing as a jungler for the esports team Fnatic during his peak, Happonen played a pivotal role in their victory at the World Championship in 2011. As this was the inaugural world championship in the game's history, it firmly established Cyanide as one of its pioneers.

Reflecting on that monumental victory in a 2018 interview with Ilta-Sanomat, Happonen shared that he vividly remembered the feeling of winning. The player admitted he previously viewed himself as a quiet computer enthusiast with low self-esteem. However, the attention he received from fans following his championship win boosted his confidence, making 2011 feel like a year that he was living in a dream.

At the end of 2014, Happonen parted ways with Fnatic, citing a fading passion. He explained that he was no longer happy, having placed far too much pressure on himself and failing to consistently perform up to his own expectations.

Happonen revealed that he had fallen into depression and had to step away for the sake of his mental health.

After leaving, he transitioned to streaming for about a year and a half before stopping. In 2018, Happonen began studying business in Helsinki while also hosting a video game-focused program for Yle Kioski Gaming.

In his later years, Happonen participated in several small-scale esports projects and worked in quality management in Finland.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he began his studies at the University of Valencia in the autumn of 2025.