Angus Cloud’s Friends Share in Emotional Interviews How They’re Honoring Him — with Tony Hawk’s Help (Exclusive)

Angus Cloud’s piercing blue eyes and lengthy hair — which he at all times tucked right into a beanie save for one piece that swooped in entrance of his face — are what a gaggle of his childhood mates, primarily skate boarders and graffiti artists, nonetheless image right now.

The late Euphoria actor had a simple charisma, a full-fledged enthusiasm for artwork, rap music, movie and a knack for thrift purchasing.

In mid-September, throughout a fog-covered night within the yard of his mother Lisa Cloud’s Oakland, California dwelling, Cloud’s family members remembered his generosity and carefree spirit, describing his life rising up as a an avid skateboarder. 

Mike Oz, Cloud’s grade faculty math instructor and now the chief director of the Oakland Faculty for the Arts, the place Cloud and his costar Zendaya attended, tells PEOPLE he skated with him after faculty and the 2 had remained shut.

Whereas standing on the development web site often called Cloud Park — an acre of land that has been vacant for 18 years and will probably be was a skate plaza — Ozdetails how he and others have got down to increase over $2 million to honor Cloud by means of a GoFundMe marketing campaign.

Former skilled skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk has additionally thrown his help behind the trigger along with his basis The Skatepark Mission.

“TSP and OSA worth the constructing of areas that help creativity; and to determine this park in honor of Angus Cloud, a gifted actor and skater who cared deeply for his group and was misplaced too quickly is becoming,” says Hawk through electronic mail.

In Oakland, Ozglances out his downtown workplace window and factors at a wall throughout the road. “He’d write Angus in all places as a child,” he says, beaming. “It says Angus proper there. Proper now, downtown Oakland says his title in every single place, however loads of these are his writing. Now they’re additionally all in honor and reminiscence of him.”

On July 31 Angus (born Conor Angus Cloud Hickey) died at 25 from acute intoxication following an unintentional drug overdose.

4 years in the past Cloud gained in a single day stardom along with his portrayal of Fezco, the low-key drug seller with a coronary heart of gold, on Euphoria.

However his shut mates — who nonetheless name him Conor — say he had no want to be well-known. “I need to be an everyday individual and have common interactions with folks,” he mentioned in a podcast final 12 months. “And one thing about fame and notoriety, you lose that.”

Oakland was the rising star’s total identitym say family members. He was a inventive goofball who spray painted graffiti, collected Powerpuff Women motion figures and 1000’s of trinkets, always handed out free samples whereas working at Entire Meals as an adolescent.

He informedRolling Stonethat the primary time a fan acknowledged him, they requested, “Hey, are you from Euphoria?” He responded, “No, I am from Oakland. However I used to be within the present, yeah.”

“Conor wasn’t afraid of something,” says his longtime pal Ibrahim Dioum, who grew up with Cloud and lived with him in Brooklyn after they graduated highschool in Oakland. Provides his longtime pal and graffiti artist Tre Sorensen: “He was simply fearless, man.”

Earlier than he was found by a casting agent on the streets of New York, Cloud was working 14-hour days at a restaurant serving hen and waffles. 

“Conor could be simply standing within the initiatives, and it was actually scary, however he was hella completely satisfied. His mattress was on the ground with this tiny little window subsequent to it,” Dioum recollects of Cloud’s pre-fame days. “He would put his juice containers outdoors the window within the snow and later seize the juice when it was chilly and drink it. It was so hilarious and funky. That was simply him.”

Early in Euphoria’s second season, Cloud’s character Fezco will get bashed within the cranium, leaving him with a large scar on his scalp. The story behind the wound was much more traumatic in actual life: At 15, whereas strolling by means of downtown Oakland in the dead of night, Cloud fell right into a development pit; he wakened 12 hours later with a mind hemorrhage. 

“We had been partying and strolling outdoors,” says his pal Kalani, who was with him that evening. They used to steal packs of beer from CVS and journey out on their skateboard as quick as attainable.

That night, Cloud separated from the group round 10:30 p.m. and had taken the brutal 10-foot fall. They are saying he used a ladder to climb out finally. He underwent surgical procedure and suffered “fierce” complications afterward, his mom recollects.

Regardless of the power ache, Cloud rolled with the punches, says Lisa, saying her son tailored to his circumstances and at all times made the perfect of the right here and now. It is a lesson he taught all his mates a decade in the past.

“I believe that is what additionally drew lots of people to him,” says Lilita, whose 2-year-old son was Cloud’s godson. “He hyped us up and had us do a bunch of issues and tried issues that we’d’ve by no means finished with out him or considered,” she says. “There are such a lot of various things I’ve finished and positively would not have finished with out his affect and simply him at all times turning up the vibe with that fearlessness or being like Peter Pan. He at all times made us imagine we might do something like he did.”

Stewart Homans, who was a 12 months youthful than Cloud and met once they had been in grade faculty, nonetheless remembers his first impression of him when he was 10 years outdated. “Conor at all times regarded cool as hell,” he says. “I at all times noticed him within the faculty workplace. When youngsters obtained in hassle, you’d have to put in writing on this pocket book. However Conor obtained in a lot hassle that he could not match it within the pocket book, so that they gave him his personal stack of notebooks.”

Certainly one of their favourite locations to skateboard collectively was at Berkley Skatepark in Oakland, the place Cloud would watch his favourite skater, Karl Watson, doing tips.

Homans says his pal spent hours watching skate movies, working towards on the road nook close to his dwelling, launching himself over curbs and onto no matter he wished, sliding down handrails into kickflips, then flipping his board round as he grinded throughout the sidewalk. 

“Skateboarding simply sort of suits in Conor’s character of not eager to observe guidelines and never having any construction that anyone was telling him what to do,” says Homans. “We might simply skate across the metropolis after which get kicked out.”

Oz, 42, started working at OSA, the nonprofit constitution artwork faculty for low-income households in 2006. Over his tenure, he is discovered skateboarding goes past a subculture — it is a life-style crammed with music and artwork.

“It saves lives,” he provides. “I’ve at all times finished after faculty issues with youngsters who skate. Individuals who skateboard sadly typically get in additional hassle than others. For no matter motive, their lives have introduced them to those sorts of issues. I at all times glued into the children that selected that as their ardour.”

Ozmet Cloud when he was 12. He began off taking part in saxophone, however finally discovered his passino for media arts and pictures. “It is a pure match for teenagers into skateboarding and graffiti artwork,” Ozsays. Later, Cloud enrolled in manufacturing design, emphasizing working in set design, lights and sound within the theater division. Though Cloud wasn’t interested by performing again then, Ozsays that it made excellent sense when he noticed his pupil on tv for the primary time 4 years in the past. 

“It is humorous. He was performing rather a lot as a child. He preferred to get reactions out of individuals and that is the character of performing — to evoke one thing in folks,” says Oz. “I believe he at all times did that. I believe the character he was in a position to painting in Euphoria was additionally as a result of he is from right here. He and Zendaya, her being a Disney star and having self-drive and self-advocacy — each their careers made sense to me as a result of they’d a bit of little bit of Oakland, California in them. There’s tragedy surrounding us on a regular basis, however there’s simply magnificence, artwork and fixed inventive vitality right here.”

In class, Cloud had a historical past of getting in hassle. Ozoversaw pupil self-discipline: Someday, he discovered a field on his desk with a gratitude be aware hooked up. Inside was a do-it-yourself superhero costume with a cape made out of a onesie from Goodwill that had his title hand-stitched on it.

“Conor was a really inventive child. He and two different college students made it after they misbehaved. Simply take into consideration when there is a disciplinary scenario and the person who handles it — the very last thing you do is make them one thing. I do not save a lot, however I nonetheless have it. It is simply so particular,” says Oz.

Cloud graduated highschool in 2016 and finally moved to Los Angeles to work on Euphoria. Final 12 months, Ozreunited with the actor again in Oakland: “He was so candy. We caught up and it felt actually good to see him once more.”

Ozpauses for a second. “I used to be dwelling, and I broke down crying after I heard the information,” he says about receiving condolence emails. “It simply hit me like a ton of bricks. I have never cried that many occasions up to now 10 years. It was such horrible information. All the scholars additionally care a lot about him.” 

For months, Ozhad contemplated designing a park for his college students on the empty lot that sits at 1911 Telegraph Ave. Youth psychological well being, security and drug abuse, particularly fentanyl, have elevated. To deal with it, he wished to assist save extra youngsters’ lives by creating shops for younger folks to entry inexperienced house and sunshine. 

“Typically we deal with the signs and never the true downside,” says Oz. “A part of the true downside is that loads of youngsters haven’t got a protected place to simply be youngsters and run round outdoors. It’s one thing that ought to have been finished 10 years in the past. Our children want this. Each child deserves entry to a protected outside house at college, which is what we’re attempting to create.”

Earlier than Cloud was cremated on the Chapel of the Chimes Funeral Dwelling in Oakland, a number of of his family members embellished the casket in his honor. Every week later, a memorial service was held at Humanist Corridor for his household and mates, together with Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.

Oz is now elevating $2.5 million to permit college students a protected place to skate identical to Cloud used to. “It is a spot that will probably be for bodily training, for actions, for lunch and after faculty. I need Oakland to win, too, and I need activation. I need to liven up downtown. I need positivity; I need artwork. I need music. All of it added up the place this horrible scenario ought to quantity to one thing good.”

The town-owned property may also characteristic a stage and efficiency space, a tribute wall for teenagers to graffiti, a soccer area and a basketball court docket. The Oakland Roots — who’re anchor companions in a company referred to as Skate Like a Lady, and Hawk’s basis — are actively serving to with design and fundraising. 

“The Skatepark Mission is proud to companion with the Oakland Faculty of the Arts in help of the Cloud Skatepark,” says Hawk. “We’re grateful {that a} revered establishment like OSA understands the significance of offering a protected and accessible skatepark to their group.”

“It is not simply in honor of Conor, however in reminiscence of all of the OSA college students that we misplaced too younger from suicide, homicide and medicines. I used to be very a lot a troubled child, and it takes folks to see your potential to get you out of that,” provides Oz. “For Conor’s mother to inform me just lately that I at all times noticed his full potential meant the world to me. I hope that it’s going to have that impression on folks and be therapeutic for individuals who had been near Conor.”

Within the months since Cloud’s demise, members of his Oakland tribe have come collectively to pay tribute. Some painted murals, others hosted a rap celebration — and all proceed to grieve his loss.

“Conor at all times mentioned, ‘You could possibly do no matter you need to do. You are endlessly younger,'” Lilita remembers, who’s anticipating one other little one. “Conor was so excited to be a godfather once more. He thought you possibly can do no matter you wished. He believed that. He taught me and all of us that if you wish to do one thing, you possibly can do it. I imagine him. However as he at all times says, and you understand we do not ever neglect…. ‘Bless, bless. one love.'”

In case you or somebody you understand is combating substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.