Former French Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player and streamer Malek Bennouioua, known online as maleK or MalekCSGO, has reportedly died at 35. His death was announced by a close friend on X on September 27, and tributes have since come from well-known names in the French Counter-Strike scene. Malek spent more than a decade around competitive Counter-Strike before moving into content creation. He had about 155,000 Twitch followers. The cause of death has not been officially confirmed, while relatives have asked everyone to avoid rumours and respect their privacy as his family deals with grief.
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Malek Bennouioua death announced by close friend
His friend @TheNextPharaon shared the announcement on X.
HLTV reported that Malek began playing CS:Source in 2011 and competed for beGenius and Epsilon.
“Our brother known by the pseudonym MalekCSGO, has passed away today. Please make as much dua for him as possible. May Allah open the gates of paradise for him, inshallah.”
“Wallahi, I’m so da*n sad. I’ve known him since childhood; we have so many memories in common. I’d go on his Twitch channel whenever I needed a hit of nostalgia so we could reminisce together about the old days.”
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Engin “MAJ3R” Küpel, Steeve “Ozstrik3r” Flavigni
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire wrote:
“Rest in peace, maleK.”
X user @teufeurs added:
“I’m shocked and saddened to learn of Malek’s passing. We had a lot of problems and conflicts, but in early 2026, he came on his own to apologize and sent me a message of encouragement for my weight loss and to wish me success. I wish strength to his family, and my thoughts are with his children. May he rest in peace.”
Engin “MAJ3R” Küpel wrote:
“We loved you too, beautiful man. We lost Malek last night. Throughout my career in France, our paths crossed many times; there was always love and respect between us in every conversation. He was just 35 years old, like me. He always spoke beautifully about us and approached the Turkish community with love. May God have mercy on him, brother. We will never forget you.”
Steeve “Ozstrik3r” Flavigni wrote:
“Like you, I learned tonight, around 3 a.m., about Malek CSGO’s passing. I couldn’t fall back asleep after that. And even as I write these words, I’m still struggling to grasp that this could be real. Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves that everything we do here—Internet, social networks, video games… in the end, all of it holds very little importance in the face of this kind of tragedy. The only thing that matters today is that he is gone and that he leaves behind two children. I think of them with all my heart, as well as their mother and all his loved ones. It’s been 25 years since I’ve been part of the Counter-Strike community. And every time a tragedy strikes one of our own, it hits me deeply. Because behind the usernames, the debates, the matches, and the networks, there are real brothers who share the same passion, people who are part of our daily lives… Rest in peace, Malek.”
