Euphoria wrapped up the series with a devastating death – but there were numerous characters who were killed off on screen.
During the Sunday, May 31, episode of the HBO show, Rue (Zendaya) was the most surprising when she relapsed by taking painkillers. This led to her death from an accidental overdose due to the pills being laced with fentanyl.
Ali (Colman Domingo) wanted to seek revenge and he murdered Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) at his strip club. At the same time, Laurie (Martha Kelly) died by suicide when the DEA raided her property and G (Marshawn Lynch) was another casualty of Ali storming the club to avenge Rue’s memory.
Euphoria premiered in 2019 and originally followed troubled high school student Rue as she struggled to remain sober after rehab. The hit HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season after its premiere, but it took nearly three years for the episodes to air.
In between seasons, the cast suffered several losses after Eric Dane, who played Cal, died in February at age 53 after a battle with ALS. Angus Cloud, meanwhile, died at age 25 and creator Sam Levinson dedicated the season to the actor and his character, Fez.
In a segment after Sunday’s episode, Levinson explained why Rue died from an overdose, saying, “The honest ending is that people like Rue don’t make it.”
Levinson reflected on his own history with addiction — before mentioning Cloud’s death in July 2025 following an accidental overdose.
“People relapse and they f*** up. They’re not ready to get clean. And they weren’t dying like they are now with the influx of fentanyl into this country,” he explained. “I could say with absolute certainty that if I was going through what I went through when I was younger now then I wouldn’t be here either.”
He continued: “There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. I wanted to tell the story for Angus and for people who weren’t granted a second chance.”
Levinson called the finale “an honest ending.”
“Zendaya’s performance has been so wonderful and layered over the course of these seasons. We fell in love with this character — this girl who was flawed and f**ked up but has a good heart,” he said. “It’s a blessing to work with talented people and people that you love.”
Levinson noted that the show was always building to Rue’s death, adding, “In the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. I also wanted to tell a story about grief and the emotional turmoil that it can create.”
Euphoria is now streaming on HBO Max.
