“Euphoria” Star Angus Cloud’s Unique Rise To Fame And Complicated Relationship With His Celebrity Status Explained

While a cause of death has not been announced, his family issued a statement after news of his passing broke and revealed that Angus had been struggling with the loss of his father.

“It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today,” they said. “As an artist, a friend, a brother, and a son, Angus was special to all of us in so many ways.”

“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," the statement went on. "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."

"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,” Angus’s family concluded.

The young star’s passing has caused shockwaves in the entertainment industry, and many of his former colleagues and fans have taken to social media to pay heartfelt tribute. 

This is particularly noteworthy considering the fact that Angus had zero acting experience before he was cast, and was actually working as a server in a chicken and waffles restaurant in New York City when he was scouted by a casting agent.

“I don’t know exactly how to put it, but I just, like, doing whatever I feel like doing at the time. I like to do whatever I feel is right, and just doing what I want,” he added.

But one evening, when he was “hanging out” with some friends in the street, Angus caught the eye of casting scout Eléonore Hendricks — but he was understandably suspicious when she approached him.

“When it happened, I thought she was just making stuff up. But I like to listen to people’s hustle. I respect all hustles,” he told the Face. “If you’ve got a good story, I’ll hear you out. Maybe it’s worth a dollar or two. And in my case, it worked in my favor, because it was a true hustle.”

“He was not what you would expect,” she explained to Variety. “He has this rough, street quality about him, but he’s a very sensitive and curious and open person. Just really warm, and incredible on camera. Very charming, and told incredible, funny stories.”

“In my career so far, it’s one of the first times where I sent an audition tape and within seconds, everyone on the team separately sent immediate responses of ‘Oh my god! Who is this? Wow!’” Jennifer added.

Although he had plenty of experience of long days on his feet thanks to his time as a server, he was left “surprised” when he felt equally exhausted when leaving the set. 

“I’m not in there sweating and busting my ass, but mentally, I get off work, get in the car and go, ‘Shit! What the fuck? I’m tired as fuck, and not even doing shit!’” he told Variety.

“I was kind of shocked that he needed encouraging. It makes sense to me now, but his performance came with such confidence and ease, I couldn’t tell that he felt unsure,” she went on. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, Angus, you’re doing so good!’ It was like watching someone do the thing they were meant to do.”

In interviews, he defended the show against claims that it “glorified” drug use — and said that he specifically appreciated the fact that it doesn’t. 

He told the Face: “I really appreciate how it doesn’t glorify it. Drugs aren’t cool, they’re nothing to play around with. It definitely shows that. This is serious business. And right now, with Fentanyl, the number one killer in the United States, it’s insane. I’ve lost people to it.”

Angus would also regularly champion his cast-mates on social media, with the novelty of seeing the likes of Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi on a magazine cover or billboard seemingly never wearing off. 

Angus found himself invited to the coolest events and the most high-profile red carpets, but he always remained impressively nonchalant about his fast-rising career. 

In fact, he appeared to cling on to the fact that his amateur status meant that — although he always tried his best — he didn’t need to worry too much about being good.

And when he completely branched out of his comfort zone of Fez to appear in “frat movie” The Line, Angus admitted: “I hope I did a good job. I ain’t tryna be no one-trick pony. But if I did shit, then it is what it is. 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 imposter-type shit.”

Displaying a remarkable level of acceptance and self-awareness, Angus then added to Variety: “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. It’s not like I fucked my whole life up. Y’all hired me!”

While he ultimately did want to “keep making cool projects” and “cool art,” including something that would allow him to bring his personal “goofiness to the camera,” he said that there was “plenty of other stuff” he could see himself doing in the coming years.

Giving examples to Variety, he quipped: “Buy a boat. Find an island. Post up in a tent. See what happens next.”

“Sometimes, I’m jealous of people who know exactly what they want for themselves,” he went on. “I’m like: ‘Damn, I wish I knew what I wanted for my future.’ But at the same time, there’s a lot of freedom to just figure it out.”