How Did Angus Cloud Die? He Was ‘A Broken Man’ After His Father’s Passing
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It’s news that rocked Euphoria fans—indeed the wider entertainment community—when news broke of how Angus Cloud died on July 31, 2023.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
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Cloud—who is best known for starring as Fezco “Fez” O’Neill, a local drug dealer, in HBO’s Euphoria—was only 25 years of age when he passed. In an interview with Variety in August 2022, he revealed that it “bothers” him when fans compare him to his character, Fezco. “It does bother me,” he said. “When people are like, ‘It must be so easy! You get to go in and be yourself.’ I’m like, ‘Why don’t you go and do that?’ It’s not that simple. I brought a lot to the character. You can believe what you want. It ain’t got nothing to do with me.”
He continued, “I hope I did a good job. I ain’t tryna be like no one-trick pony. But if I did shit, then it is what it is. I don’t know how to act. I just do it. I’m in rooms with people that have been acting their whole life, and I’m like, ‘Why am I here?’ I got impostor-type shit.” Unfortunately, we’ll never see his magic again on-screen. Here’s what we know about Angus Cloud and his untimely death.
How did Angus Cloud Die?
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How did Angus Cloud die? TMZ first broke the news that Angus Cloud had died through speaking with his family. Variety later confirmed the same news. No cause of death was immediately given but later, TMZ and ET reported that Oakland PD responded to a 911 call made around 11:30 am on July 31, 2023, by Cloud’s mom, reporting a “possible overdose,” and said her son did not have a pulse. He was eventually pronounced dead on the scene.
“The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is investigating a death that occurred today, July 31, 2023, just after 11:30 AM, in the 200 block of Euclid Avenue,” the OPD said in a statement supplied to ET. “The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. The cause of death is unknown. There’s no additional information being released at this time. This is an active death investigation.”
In a separate statement, the Oakland Fire Department added, “This morning, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Oakland Fire was dispatched to the 200 block of Euclid Ave in Oakland for a medical emergency. Upon the arrival of Fire EMS personnel, the patient was determined to be already deceased. Per protocol, the body was left in the care of the police department and coroner. Cause of death is unknown. No further information from the Fire Department is available at this time.”
The statement supplied by the family indeed suggested he was struggling to deal with the death of his father, which occurred a week prior. His dad was buried in Ireland, in the family’s home village of County Meath, and Cloud had just returned home to Oakland.
“It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today. As an artist, a friend, a brother and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways,” the statement said.
“Last week he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.” They concluded: “We hope the world remembers him for his humor, laughter and love for everyone. We ask for privacy at this time as we are still processing this devastating loss.”
Family friend Mick Gleeson told the Daily Mail how deeply the death of Cloud’s father affected the actor, so badly that he couldn’t bring himself to be at the memorial service or cremation. “He was just so traumatized that he could not attend. He was in a very bad way and in total shock. He was in such a fragile state and struggling with the death of his father,” he said. “He was like a rabbit caught in the headlights and was just unable to come to terms with his loss. I sat down with him and said he was now the man of the family, and he just could not handle it. He was a broken man.”
Another friend added: “I think coming back to his father’s place of birth and all that contained was just too much for him. He could not face the final goodbye to his father. It is awful that he felt so overcome that his own life has come to an end.”
His cousin Gerald Hough, who runs a pub in Banagher County Offaly, told MailOnline: “We are all deeply saddened at the loss of Angus, leaving behind so many broken-hearted family and friends. He was an immense talent and kindhearted soul he will be missed by all of us,” he said. “We shared a great night at J.J Houghs Singing Pub last summer at a family reunion and these are memories we will cherish forever. He was great craic and as Irish as you can get, he even shot a scene with me for my annual Christmas ad for The Pub May he Rest in Peace.”
In a statement on behalf of HBO, a spokesperson later added, per Deadline: “We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Angus Cloud. He was immensely talented and a beloved part of the HBO and Euphoria family. We extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family during this difficult time.”
Zendaya, Cloud’s co-star in Euphoria as well as one of the show’s executive producers, wrote a touching tribute to her friend on Instagram on Tuesday, August 1. “Words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus (Conor). I’m so grateful I got the chance to know him in this life, to call him a brother, to see his warm kind eyes and bright smile, or hear his infectious cackle of a laugh (I’m smiling now just thinking of it) I know people use this expression often when talking about folks they love…“they could light up any room they entered” but boy let me tell you, he was the best at it,” she wrote. “I’d like to remember him that way. For all of the boundless light, love and joy he always managed to give us. I’ll cherish every moment. My heart is with his mother and family at this time and please be kind and patient as grief looks different for everyone.”
In March, Cloud recalled being discovered on the street in Brooklyn, sharing, “I definitely thought it could be some kind of scam,” he told i-D. “Then they brought me back in and they showed me the role, and it made more sense. Because in my mind I was like, they stopped me because I look like I could be a star? Then I’m like, no, it’s because I look like I could be a drug dealer.”
He continued on his unexpected success: “The difference between me and everyone else who’s famous it’s that they were trying to go get famous, for the most part. They were working hard, and they were like, ‘I’m going to make it to the top’. For me, it was just like too good of an opportunity to say no to. I had no idea it would go this far.”
Maude Apatow, who starred opposite Cloud in Euphoria as Lexi—eventually Fezco’s love interest—honored her friend’s death on Instagram on August 2. “Angus was the funniest person ever. I would get so excited to see on the schedule that we would be working together because I knew we’d have the best day, laughing so hard. He was the sweetest and made everyone around him so happy,” she said. “He was just the best. Words can’t really capture how magical of a person he was. My heart is broken. Angus, getting to know and work with you was one of the greatest joys and blessings of my life. I will love you forever.”
“Fexi” was partly due to her IRL chemistry/friendship with her co-star. “When Sam and I were talking about all this stuff, just on the phone kicking around for hours, that came to be. I can’t remember specifically how that went down. Once we started talking about it, it totally made sense,” she told Entertainment Weekly in February 2022. “And Angus and I, in real life, have a funny friendship. It all just happened. It all felt right as soon as we started talking about it.”
She continued about where she would’ve liked to see the relationship go in season three, which we’ll tragically never get to see. “I think it is just very refreshing when the relationship feels so like innocent and sweet, like in the last episode they don’t even kiss. They just hold hands, and it’s building really slowly,” she said. “And I think in contrast to a lot of the things that happen on the show that are so extreme, it definitely stands out. But I love working with Angus. I think Angus is such a great actor, and we just have so much fun working together. So for selfish reasons, I hope we get to do more scenes together because it’s fun. He’s just a great partner. He’s so present and talented, and yeah, I just love working with him, so I totally would love to keep working with him.”
A lot of fans reacted to the news by saying that HBO should cancel Euphoria because there was no point in it continuing without Cloud, such was the impact of his presence on-screen. “i don’t wanna euphoria 3 anymore,” commented one underneath HBO’s Instagram post commemorating Cloud’s death. “please don’t bring back euphoria there’s no point anymore,” another wrote. “Can’t imagine the show without fexi,” another commented.
In some of his final works on-screen, Cloud can be seen in The Line opposite Alex Wolff, Austin Abrams, John Malkovich and Scott McNairy, which was written and directed by Ethan Berger. He will be a lead in the independent horror flick Your Lucky Day and in North Hollywood opposite Miranda Cosgrove, Nico Haraga, and Vince Vaughn. The Hollywood Reporter also confirmed that filming had wrapped on another thus-far untitled Universal film that was set for release in 2024 before being delayed by the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. “Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the project was at one point titled Dracula’s Daughter and centered on a group of kidnappers who abduct a band of young people, one of whom ends up being the titular character,” THR.com reported. “Villella is producing alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment. Tripp Vinson is also producing.”
Why Angus Cloud had a scar on his head
In 2022, the up-and-coming actor revealed the scar on his head was caused by a skull fracture after he fell into a construction pit when he was a teenager. “I woke up 12 hours later at the bottom,” he told Variety. “I was trapped. I eventually climbed out after — I don’t know how long. It was hella hard to climb out, because my skull was broken, but my skin wasn’t, so all the bleeding was internal, pressing up against my brain. But they wasn’t gonna find me down there. I found myself. Or God found me, whatever you want to call it.”
He continued: “But I didn’t feel no pain,” he says. “I was in survival mode, you feel me?” After he escaped, his vision blurry, Cloud took the bus to his mother’s house. “Because I was a kid! I was 14 or 15. She thought I was on drugs, ’cause my pupils was hella dilated. I was trying to tell her what happened, but I could only start a sentence — I couldn’t finish it. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna go sleep in my bed.’”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
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