Angus Cloud’s ‘Euphoria’ Costars React to His Death: “The Tears Just Won’t Stop”
News broke yesterday that Euphoria star Angus Cloud had died at just 25 years old, and Cloud’s costars (and the world) are in mourning. Storm Reid, Lukas Gage, and Javon Walton are among the show’s stars that paid tribute to their colleague and friend—a bright young talent in Hollywood that played the beloved character Fezco “Fez” O’Neill.
Season one star Lukas Gage was among the first Euphoria cast members to react publicly, People reports. Gage posted a group photo with Cloud on his Instagram story alongside the words “Rip @anguscloud” and a broken heart emoji. On Cloud’s most recent Instagram post from a week ago, Gage also commented “rest easy angus.”
Storm Reid shared a photo of Cloud on her own Instagram story and wrote the heartbreaking message “The tears just won’t stop” alongside the image.
Javon Walton—who memorably played Fez’s younger brother Ashtray—posted a photo of the two onscreen brothers hugging. He captioned the image “rest easy brother.” Walton also shared another photo to his Instagram story alongside the words “forever family.”
Paula Marshall, who played Nate Jacobs’ mom Marsha Jacobs, told People in a statement that Cloud “was kind and gracious and so unique. You couldn’t take your eyes off him, on film or on set. How lucky we all were to have witnessed his work. It was beyond truthful, every damn take. My heart hurts.”
Euphoria’s creator Sam Levinson said in a statement “There was no one quite like Angus. He was too special, too talented, and way too young to leave us so soon. He also struggled, like many of us, with addiction and depression. I hope he knew how many hearts he touched. I loved him. I always will. Rest in peace and God Bless his family.”
Zendaya later added touching words about her late costar, sharing an emotional Instagram post about Cloud: "Words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus (Conor)," she wrote next to a black and white photo of Cloud. "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. 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." She closed with a note of support for Cloud's family, writing "My heart is with his mother and family at this time and please be kind and patient as grief looks different for everyone."
Sydney Sweeney also spoke out, writing on Instagram "Angus you were an open soul, with the kindest heart, and you filled every room with laughter. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to post, and I'm struggling to find all the words. You will be missed more than you know, but I'm so blessed to have known you in this lifetime, and I'm sure everyone who has ever met you feels the same. This heartache is real and I wish we could've had one more hug and 711 run. All my love is with you."
Fellow costars like Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, and even Drake (an executive producer on the show) posted messages of support for Cloud, as well.
Euphoria debuted in 2019 and Fez won hearts as a drug dealer who had a soft spot for Rue (played by Zendaya) and her friends, namely Lexi (Maude Apatow), with whom Fez had a budding romance in the show’s second season. Apatow remarked on her costar, remembering him as 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," she wrote. "He was the sweetest and made everyone around him so happy. He was just the best. Words can't really capture how magical of a person he was. My heart is broken." She added "Angus, getting to know and work with you was one of the greatest joys and blessings of my life. I will love you forever."
Going into the show’s third season, Fez’s future was a bit unclear (MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT—STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN) because of Ashtray’s death and his own arrest. According to People, “filming constraints pre-writers’ and actors’ strikes meant viewers wouldn’t see new episodes until 2025.”
Cloud was discovered on the streets of Brooklyn and recruited to play Fez, in a series of events that of which he said he “definitely thought it could be some kind of scam.”
“Then they brought me back in and they showed me the role, and it made more sense,” he told i-D in March. “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.”
Cloud never aspired to be famous, he said: “The difference between me and everyone else who’s famous is that that they were trying to get famous, for the most part,” he said. “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.”
