Following the unexpected death of 25-year-old Angus Cloud, HBO has implemented a heartfelt tribute to the fan-favorite Euphoria actor that appears in the opening moments of the first two seasons.
Within seconds of pressing play on Season 1, Episode 1 or Season 2, Episode 1, viewers are instantly greeted with a black-and-white image of Cloud, accompanied by a brief epitaph that reads “In memory of Angus Cloud 1998-2023.” See the tribute below.
The gesture comes just a day after HBO released a public statement on the official Euphoria Twitter account.
"We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Angus Cloud," the network wrote. "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."
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. pic.twitter.com/PLqkz5Rshc
— euphoria (@euphoriaHBO) July 31, 2023
Cloud scored his breakout acting role playing down-to-earth drug dealer Fezco “Fez” O’Neill on the Emmy-winning series. Besides leading a life of crime, Fez is known among viewers for his fierce loyalty to his friends and family — relationships that also manifested in Cloud’s personal life in a very real way.
“Words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus (Conor),” Zendaya reflected in an Aug. 1 tribute post for the late actor. “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. My heart is with his mother and family at this time and please be kind and patient as grief looks different for everyone.”
Dominic Fike, who is currently on tour for his latest album “Sunburn,” also was candid with fans about his anguish during his Aug. 1 show at Houston’s 713 Music Hall. Fike joined the Euphoria cast in Season 2 as Elliot, a fellow drug addict and potential love interest to both Rue and Jules, though he fondly described the friendship he’d built with Cloud in the process.
“I guess I lost a friend of mine recently. He died the other night, which is wild to say because I don’t deal with grief often. I haven’t had a lot of death happen around me, and this was the first time I feel like I knew the person well enough to cry over and feel something,” Fike explained to the audience in a video shared on TikTok.
Fike continued on to explain how he was on his way to get a massage when he was notified of Cloud’s passing. Day-to-day acts of fulfillment, and even his ongoing tour, seem “trivial” in comparison to his mounting grief, Fike said.
“I sometimes look at people like sparks; I zoom out, and I think people have wavelengths,” Fike went on. “If you zoom out far enough, you see some people — probably not a lot of us at all — but I think if you zoomed out millions of miles, you would see this kid’s spark. You could see it from so far away, even if it was a short flash. He would light up a room, any room he walked in. He’s a fucking good dude. I felt stupid coming out here. Like, this is so stupid, doing a show and being happy. But he would’ve wanted me to do that. He would’ve been like, ‘No, do the show, have fun.’”
Maude Apatow, who plays Cloud’s on-screen love interest in the show, posted a sincere paragraph honoring her co-star’s legacy in an Aug. 2 Instagram post. The words accompany a slideshow of images featuring solo snapshots of Cloud as well as pictures of him and Apatow together.
“Angus was the funniest person ever,” Apatow wrote. “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. 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,” Apatow finished, signing off with a red heart.
Sydney Sweeney, better known to Euphoria fans as Cassie Howard, shared her own tribute Aug. 1, bemoaning the heartbreak of Cloud’s absence and cherishing his perpetual goofiness through a series of light-hearted photos.
“Angus you were an open soul, with the kindest heart, and you filled every room with laughter,” Sweeney wrote on Instagram. “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. ?”
Barbie Ferreira, who departed from the series cast ahead of its third season, also gave an emotional shout-out to Cloud on an Aug. 1 Instagram post. The photo she selected sees Cloud grinning widely, snug in a light pink turtleneck. Ferreira captioned the image, “I love you so much. You will be missed tremendously.”
Other Euphoria stars shared tributes for the budding actor via their Instagram Stories, as spotted by People. Alexa Demie, who plays it-girl Maddy Perez, topped a black background with a broken heart emoji on the day of Cloud’s passing.
Chloe Cherry, who plays Faye, also took to her Instagram Story with a picture of Cloud in character and the caption, “Miss you bro.” Similarly, Storm Reid, better known as Rue’s sister Gia, posted a photo of Cloud as Fez on her Instagram Story, captioned “The tears just won’t stop.”
Despite only making a brief appearance on Euphoria, Emmy award-winning actor Colman Domingo also honored Cloud’s legacy with a group shot of the cast that sees Cloud at the helm, smiling aside his fellow performers: “And that was his smile,” Domingo wrote on the Aug. 1 Instagram post. “That was him. May he rest in peace.”
Thumbnail credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
