Angus Cloud Cause of Death Angers Everybody; Surprises No One

Well, it’s official. HBO Euphoria star Angus Cloud did indeed die of an accidental overdose. So said the Alameda County (CA) Coroner’s Bureau anyway. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Because a thousand-and-one news and entertainment outlets said so too.

“Angus Cloud died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and in what is ruled as an accidental overdose,” said the Coroner’s Bureau spokesperson, surprising absolutely no one.

Then again, how could it have surprised anyone? We’ve all known Mama Cloud called it in as a “possible overdose” ever since TMZ broke the story back on July 31.

Nobody was surprised the coroner found fentanyl alongside both the coke and the meth either. These days it’s the rare stimulant that isn’t mixed with fent. We’ve no clue why the authorities waited till the end of the ‘graph to say the “acute intoxication… also included benzodiazepine” though. Were they trying to imply Cloud’s death came about from counterfeit benzos? Heck, without further evidence not even the coroner could tell if the killer combo came from a single fake Xanax, Klonopin or Ativan.

Reason be damned. All we really know for sure is that four separate drugs were found in Cloud’s system. And that the mix was absolutely toxic.

The Killing of Angus Cloud Makes Us Angry

Cloud’s killing wasn’t simply sad or tragic — it was obscene. Obscene that a kid like Cloud had to self-medicate, yes. But also obscene that he couldn’t self-medicate. That doesn’t mean we’re advocating the use of street drugs. It simply means we’re advocating a world where street drugs don’t necessarily kill you.

And Cloud’s death was indeed a killing. The problem is finding the right culprit(s). Lately, that means pinning the murder on the dealer who directly supplied the drugs. But that let’s off the chemists and the cooks and the traffickers and the mules who make it all possible.

It also deflects from some other could-be culprits. Yes, some folks really do believe America’s mental health system is at fault. Others fault lawmakers for not better protecting our borders and enforcing our laws. Still others, naturally, lay the blame upon the user(s) themselves.

We don’t know. And while might be inclined to blame all of the above, we do know playing the blame game achieves absolutely nothing. It doesn’t get us anywhere either.

We will say that the “It” Kid’s untimely demise seems almost like a Hollywood epic gone Biblically wrong. It also seems Biblically unfair, especially considering the mythical manner in which Cloud was anointed. Then again, neither the Good Book nor Tinsel Town have ever been shy about having bad things happen to those who get celestially blessed. And he being tapped like some streetwise Saul was like having the Prophet Samuel stand in for Mervyn LeRoy when the director “discovered” Lana Turner at Schwab’s.

Creatives Endeavor

Of course Cloud wasn’t the first creative to die from drugs. We’re not talking about yesteryear’s legion of overdoses, which was largely dominated by bold-face names. We’re talking about today’s wrath of victims, which while includes hundreds of thousands from every strata of society, as well as talents such as Mac Miller, Lil Peep, Tom Petty, Coolio and Prince.

And now Angus Cloud. The kid who was plucked off the streets of New York, asked to read for Euphoria and ended up on the cover of Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood.

According to CNN Senior News Editor Cheri Mossburg, “Cloud is credited to appear in an upcoming untitled thriller from Universal Pictures. He also stars alongside Pedro Pascal in the Oakland-set drama Freaky Tales, which wrapped production in January.”

You Lucky Day

Cloud had also wrapped Your Lucky Day.

Written and directed by Dan Brown, Your Lucky Day was reportedly picked up by Well Go USA when it premiered at Fantastic Fest over the weekend. The flick, which apparently began as a short way back in 2010, seems like the type of indie thriller Cloud would naturally gravitate toward. So does the writer/director, who had nothing but praise for the late actor.

“Angus was the kindest person on set,” said Brown, in a statement we culled from Deadline’s Matt Grobar. “Humble. Creative. He would openly celebrate everyone around him. From actors to PAs. He was always listening to others when all they really wanted to do was hear from him. On the long nights he’d be there shouting, ‘quiet on the set’ to help our First AD or shoot a YouTube video with the caterer for his channel. He would take time to make others feel special. Seen.

“I will never get to watch the film with Angus but I feel blessed to have had this brief time with him,” he continued. “For our conversations about the script, his stories about the time he rode rails down the coast, those pitch perfect improvisations he’d add to simple moments, his sense of humor. After the shoot, Angus told me something I had always hoped to say back to him, ‘congratulations bro you did it.’”

Brown might not now have the chance to congratulate Cloud in person, but we’d bet $156 million that both his respect will get through. So will his gratitude.

A Cloud Family Affair

Naturally, the Cloud family was equally full of respect and gratitude.

“It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today,” read their August 31 statement, which was reported by ET’s Mona Khalifeh. “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 statement continued. “The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend.”

The Cloud family also took the opportunity to warn folks not to slip on mental health issues.

“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.”

Mostly though, Angus’s clearly devastated fam “hopes the world remembers him for his humor, laughter and love for everyone.”

We do too.

If you’re the praying type, please say a prayer for Angus Cloud and his family. If you’re a different kind of spiritual sort, perhaps grant them a place in your heart. And if by chance you’re battling drugs and/or alcohol and/or any other sort of demons, please call someone. Be it SAMHSA, NAMI or us here at Healing Properties. Just so long as you pick up the phone. Because help is out there. And it works.

Angus Cloud as Fezco from Euphoria courtesy HBO.