Angus Cloud Smoked Pot On 'Euphoria' Set, Was Sent To Rehab By HBO

Angus Cloud's loved ones are speaking out about the entertainer's tragic demise and revealed stunning information about his struggles. 

Two months after the "Euphoria" star's family announced his passing, the Alameda County Coroner revealed the 25-year-old's cause of death as an accidental overdose. A lethal combination of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and benzodiazepine was found in the beloved star's system.

These substances caused the Oakland native to die from acute intoxication, a sad end for a rising actor in his prime. However, the TV personality's family and friends recently revealed the former waiter had been struggling with addiction long before his death.

Cloud became a fan favorite in 2019 following his phenomenal portrayal of Fezco, a drug dealer with a moral compass. Despite being a low-key character, the deceased actor became an overnight success for his lovable charm in HBO's hit "Euphoria" series.

Just as the Oakland native impressed millions with his acting skills, his charm rubbed off on those around him. "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson got emotional while reflecting on the deceased's life in a candid interview for the first time.

According to the producer, he was so impressed by the young actor that he could not bear to kill his character in the first season. The father of one confessed to PEOPLE:

"Angus was supposed to die at the end of the first season, but I loved him so f---ing much, He was perfect...I think part of the problem is I would sometimes put actors ahead of the show at times. So I was like, 'Okay, I can't kill him because then what is he to look forward to?'"

Fezco was bashed in the head in the show's second season, leaving the character with a giant scar on his scalp. However, the injury was not fake, as the late "North Hollywood" actor had a near-death experience at 15 when he fell into a construction pit and suffered minor brain damage.

The accident led to the actor's first encounter with opioids after he was prescribed pain medication to battle the headaches following his surgery. Recalling her son's suffering, the deceased's mother, Lisa Cloud, revealed: "The drug use most likely had something to do with his need to relieve his pain. They were fierce."

She continued, "There were [other] things that may have worked, but he never did any of them. And when you have that much pain, you want relief." From innocently seeking relief from his pain, the 25-year-old became addicted to substances and even brought them to work.

During his first week of filming, the late TV personality allowed his best friend, Lilita, to be on set. She recounted the pair's weed-smoking session after the entertainer finished his first scene with Zendaya.

"I'm like, 'Bro, we can't,'" she recalls. "But he's like, 'It's good. The cast members are cool as long as the little f---ing a--hole errand runners don't see us." However, Levinson denied knowing about Cloud's drug usage behind the scenes.

"I would have kicked him off the set if he was smoking weed," the show's creator declared, while the Oakland native's mother claimed she never realized her son was using other substances besides marijuana. "He went into these awful moods, and he wasn't himself, and I now realize that's because he was on drugs," Lisa explained.

Unfortunately, the matriarch did not realize her son desperately needed help until Levinson suggested rehab. The producer had a deep conversation with Cloud in his office, telling the 25-year-old that he needed to be sober to partake in the second season of "Euphoria."

"I looked him in the eye and knew that he wasn't doing well," Levinson recalled, his eyes misting. "At the same time, I've been in these situations where you're trying to get someone clean. And I just said to him, 'I love working with you, and we've got this amazing season planned and stuff, but I need you to be sober because I got to be able to rely on you.'"

HBO footed the bills for his rehabilitation, and the TV personality was placed on a 30-day in-patient program. After returning to set, his treatment continued as an outpatient for three extra months. However, Levinson noted he could always feel that sobriety was not something Cloud wanted for himself. 

"It gets tricky because the world can want it for you. But he didn't want it. It's just the self-destructive side of addiction, and it outweighs everything. But you can't give up on people. I wasn't going to let anyone give up on him," the 38-year-old stated.

Unfortunately, the Oakland native began using drugs again midway through the season, and Levinson advised him to return to rehab. As a former addict, the older entertainer understood the deceased's struggles and refused to kill his character for the second time in the show.

Nonetheless, Levinson became stricter with Cloud, stopping him from appearing on set without being sober. After "Euphoria" season two's filming ended in February 2022, the third intervention to save the actor was held at the producer's home.

Recalling the outcome of the four-hour conversation, the 38-year-old said Cloud rejected his offer, claiming he was fine. "I could tell, at that time, it was like he wasn't interested. He wasn't going to do anything, and yeah, he didn't want it," the father of one confessed.