Can Malzahar kill himself to activate his ability that requires exhausting him and killing him as costs?

Ruling: Yes, Malzahar can kill himself to activate his ability. The costs can be paid in any order, so he can exhaust himself before killing himself.

Sequence:

• Pay energy/power costs first
• Pay other costs (exhaust and kill) in any order
• Exhaust Malzahar, then kill him to satisfy both costs

Nuances:

• The costs of an activated ability (what's before the colon) are considered non-standard costs when they aren't energy or power
• Non-standard costs can be paid in any order
• This follows the same steps as playing cards when activating abilities