French streamer, former CS:GO pro maleK dies at 35

Malek “maleK” Bennouioua, 35, has died, several figures in the French Counter-Strike community announced on X. No cause of death has been released and no official statement has been provided by his family or former teams.

maleK began competing in Counter-Strike: Source in 2011 and spent years in the French CS:GO sub-top. He played for teams including beGenius and later Epsilon, where Audric “JACKZ” Jug was among his teammates. After leaving competition, he worked as a full-time content creator.

On YouTube his main channel had more than 130,000 subscribers and his Twitch account had roughly 155,000 followers. He remained a visible figure within French Counter-Strike communities.

Tributes from peers and former teammates appeared quickly online. Dan “apEX” Madesclaire posted, “Rest in peace, maleK.” Richard “shox” Papillon wrote that he could not believe the news, recalling two decades of memories from early events to a meal they shared about a year ago. He added, “He was a dad…” and urged people not to remain alone when they are struggling.

Other community members, including Ryan “Neityu” Aubry, Sebastien “KRL” Perez and Steeve “Ozstrik3r” Flavigni, also posted condolences and memories of his time in competitive play and streaming.

Further details about the circumstances of maleK’s death have not been made public.

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