Counter-Strike pro cynic dies aged 23

Counter-Strike pro player David “cynic” Polster has died at the age of 23.

The American esports player’s death was announced by family and teammates on the 27th of January. The cause of death has not been made public.

Cynic played for several organizations during his career. He first played for the Nouns organization in 2022 before joining BOSS last year. He had recently qualified for the PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR earlier in January.

Tributes to cynic from colleagues and family

A Twitter post from his coach at BOSS, Tommy Ryan (also known as “Axed”), read:

“There is no easy way to say this, but earlier this week David “Cynic” Polster passed away. This news came as a complete shock to all of us. David was an incredibly hard-working individual, vocal leader, kind person, and amazing player.

“I spent a large majority of my life competing against David from the time that I was 15 years old. I think he is the player that I’ve competed against the most. He always pushed my teams and I to improve. I’m thankful for the 30 days I spent with David as a teammate.”

David’s father Daryl also made a tribute, saying: “David was a unique person. For him, gaming was about the journey, not the destination. He was always fascinated with proof of concept.”