“You can believe what you want. It ain’t got nothing to do with me.” – Angus Cloud
The world lost an incredible human being, and an immensely talented actor in Angus Cloud, when he passed away earlier this week. A beloved member of the “Euphoria” and HBO family, best known for playing Fezco “Fez” O’Neill in the award winning show.
Cloud was struggling with the recent loss of his father. A source close to his family confirmed that “Angus had been battling severe suicidal thoughts after getting back from Ireland, where his family laid his father to rest,” the source says. “Angus was staying with his family as he tried to work through overcoming the grief.”
His family released a statement to the press reading “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 only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend.”
When he was younger, Angus Cloud was bullied and made fun of for his slow speech. This was the reason he was constantly stereotyped. This was the result of a nearly fatal accident that resulted in him breaking his skull. When asked about the bullying and why he didn’t simply correct people he said
“You can believe what you want. It ain’t got nothing to do with me.”
Courtesy of HBO
Despite having to adjust to overnight stardom so quickly after “Euphoria” became HBO’s second biggest series, Cloud remained humble and down to earth. He soon became a favourite amongst fans. Cloud was known for his calming and peaceful presence, which he brought into his character Fez, who could sometimes be seen as a caretaker on the show. Aside from his performance, fans began to love him for how open and real he was, especially when it came to his struggles with mental health.
While speaking to a reporter at Variety’s annual Power of Young Hollywood event in 2022, Cloud mentioned how people tend to think that he is exactly like his character.
“It does bother me 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.”
Cloud’s character Fez was a school dropout and drug dealer, he has a big heart and cares deeply about the sobriety and wellbeing of his friends. Other than their caring nature, the two could not be more different. Fezco was even named one of the most universally beloved TV characters in recent years.
Even amongst a cast of Hollywood’s top upcoming stars, Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer and Jacob Elordi, Cloud never wavered and could always hold his own, and even as their fame continued to grow, he just kept being himself. He delivered some intense and emotional performances throughout season 1 and 2, but acting wasn’t always a cakewalk for him.
“Acting is a different kind of hard. I am not running around sweating, but it’s that mental s—t,” Cloud explained to GQ in 2019. “You have to stay focused. You have to be on point. You can’t call in sick. Acting takes a lot out of you. I’d be drained, but I was just sitting there acting.”
Despite putting everything he had into his role, and constantly working hard on Euphoria, Cloud had a very casual approach to his career, as he told Variety for its Power of Young Hollywood Issue in 2022
“I didn’t spend my whole life trying to be an actor, so I’m not finna be devastated if I didn’t do a good job on some shit where I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing.”
He also spoke about the insecurities he had as an actor.
“I don’t know how to act. 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.”
The young actor had been battling depression and addiction, but in 2022, Cloud confessed that the fame was starting to get to him. Which is not uncommon. Speaking to Interview Magazine in 2022, Cloud revealed his desire to just be treated like a normal person.
“People knowing me and recognizing who I am. That s—t f—ks with my mind for sure, I’d rather people didn’t recognize me. I’m not mad at them because they do, but I’d rather they didn’t. I just want to have regular interactions with people. I don’t want to be treated special.”
In an interview with Complex, Cloud shared how some of the themes on Euphoria hit a little too close to home for
Courtesy of HBO
him. As he has struggled with addiction in his personal life and he has loved ones who have as well.
“Addiction is serious and a lot of doctors call it a disease, it’s a real thing. People don’t understand it. It’s easy to talk about and it’s easy to say, ‘Just say no’,’” he says. “But for someone who is in active addiction, that is damn near impossible and they will throw their whole life away and they will die because of this disease or whatever, and then they will say it’s not a disease because you ‘choose’ to do drugs. You don’t ‘choose’ to do cancer.”
When Season 2 was airing, he spoke about how he wished people would learn about the seriousness of addiction through the show “Euphoria”.
Cloud went on to say
“There are studies of the brain that this kind of addiction overcomes and it takes over your brain, so it’s almost a mental type of disease and it will take over your life, it will ruin your life, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies, I have lost friends to that shit, you feel me?”
One reason people resonated with Cloud so much was because of his honesty when it came to his struggles, as well as his loving and sensitive soul. People everywhere are devastated by Angus Cloud’s death, flooding Social Media with heartfelt tributes along with the cast of Euphoria, his friends and many different celebrities.
“Words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus” – Zendaya
Angus was brave enough to be open about his journey with Mental Health. Time for us to make sure that was worth it, by making sure to do better. Remember, mental health matters.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line
by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at
1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Fangirl and Writer with a huge passion for entertainment.
