Mika Immonen

Mika Immonen, the Finnish pool star whose cool precision earned him the nickname "The Iceman," died on September 28, 2025, of cancer in New York City. He was 52. Family, friends, and media reports said he had been treated for advanced colorectal cancer since late 2023.

Immonen rose to international prominence when he won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2001, the first and only Finnish player to do so. He added a second world title in 10-ball in 2009 and captured back-to-back U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships in 2008 and 2009. His sustained excellence made him a fixture for Team Europe at the Mosconi Cup, where he appeared 15 times and was named MVP in 2008. He was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 2014, a recognition of two decades of elite play and sportsmanship.

Immonen was born on December 17, 1972. Born in London, he was raised in Finland and began playing in local halls as a teenager before competing throughout Europe. He eventually settled in New York, a base from which he toured worldwide.

By the late 1990s, Immonen was contending at the highest levels and soon became a regular presence in global majors. He quickly evolved into one of the game's most driven competitors, thanks to his relentless work ethic and attention to fundamentals.

Immonen's 2001 world title in Cardiff announced him as a champion on the biggest stage. In 2008, he surged again, winning the U.S. Open and returning in 2009 to defend the title, a feat that underscored his dominance in that era. Billiards Digest later named him its Player of the Decade for the 2000s.

In December 2023, Immonen disclosed he had been diagnosed with stage-IV colorectal cancer. Even as he navigated treatments, he continued to play in tournaments whenever possible.

Tributes from across the cuesports world followed news of his death, including from fellow greats who remembered both his precision on the table and his generosity off it.

By Legacy News Staff

(Image: Mika Immonen via Facebook)