Angus Cloud (left) and his father Conor Hickey, both of whom died earlier this year.Photo:Daniele Venturelli/Getty, Angus Cloud/Instagram
Daniele Venturelli/Getty, Angus Cloud/Instagram
Angus Cloudhad been grieving for several months before hisaccidental overdoseon July 31.
One week before Angus’s fatal overdose, he spread his father’s ashes in Ireland with his family, including his twin sisters.
“My son and his twin sisters were deeply grieving about their dad," Lisashared exclusively withPEOPLElast month. “They were all devastated.”
From Left, father Conor Hickey, sister Molly, Angus Cloud, mother Lisa Cloud and sister Fiona at the beach.Courtesy of Cloud Family
Courtesy of Cloud Family
Thousands of lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson claim thetalc powderhad caused customers to develop either ovarian cancer or mesothelioma. The lawsuits allege that the company sold powder containing talcum while being aware of the health risks, such as possible asbestos contamination.
“Johnson & Johnson has gotten away with and continues to get away with misrepresenting their product even in 2023 — after numerous juries and courts have found their product causes cancer—they keep lying to the public and telling everybody it’s safe,” Cloud’s liability attorney Joseph Satterley tells PEOPLE.
“First, they just take it off the market in the United States and Canada where you can file lawsuits, and they leave it on the market around the world, where you can’t file lawsuits [easily] in third world countries. But now we have put enough pressure on them so they finally have taken the talc powder off the market worldwide.”
And in April, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $8.9 billion to settle the lawsuits that alleged its talcum-based powder caused cancer,the company said in a statementat the time. The nearly $9 billion figure arose after the company initially set aside$2 billion for litigation costsin October 2021. “All current and future talc claims” would be covered, the statement reads, which is payable over the next 25 years.
A subsidiary, LTL Management LLC, re-filedfor voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protectionas part of a plan that would “efficiently resolve all claims arising from cosmetic talc litigation against the Company and its affiliates in North America.” According to theBBC,the company currently faces over 40,000 lawsuits.
“They are trying to pay a lot of victims a little bit of money and not allow the claims to be tried on the merits of the case. Under that plan, the victims would only be entitled anywhere between $50,000 — and at most $500,000 — when your medical expenses and lost wages exceed that,” says Satterley.
The suit also claims that all defendants failed to place any warnings on their products or even disclose the fact that their products allegedly contained asbestos. “At any point, up to and including present day,” the lawsuit states. “Despite the clear hazard and direct information that their productsdidcontain asbestos.”
Angus Cloud (left) and father Conor Hickey (Right) share special moment together.Courtesy of Cloud Family
Hickey grew up in Ireland before moving to California, where he lived until the time of his death. He was laid to rest in Dublin.
After learning from his mom in May that his dad was dying, Angus took 4 days off from shooting an untitled Universal monster horror film to visit his father in Oakland. He decorated a pillow for his father using white block letters and a yin-yang sign that read: “I <3 U POPS.” The following morning, he died.
Angus Cloud, twin sisters Fiona and Molly, mother Lisa Cloud and father Conor Hickey at high school graduation. COURTESY OF CLOUD FAMILY.Courtesy of Cloud Family
Two months later, the grieving actor visited the gravesite where his grandparents were buried in Glasnevin on the north side of Dublin to spread his father’s ashes, saying, “His heart was overflowing with the love to share, running into the waves, heart filling with the ocean. His smiles and laughs will live on with us forever." On July 14, Angus also posted atributeto his father on Instagram, which he simply captioned, “Miss u breh.”
“He absolutely loved his father,” Lisa toldPEOPLEin September.“He also knew he really loved him. He was so proud of Angus. My son thought of Pops as his best friend. There is no doubt that his father’s death took a toll on him.”
According to the suit, Angus’s father struggled with his condition and the cancer caused “physical pain, mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, physical impairment, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, emotional distress, and other similar harm. And the mesothelioma caused Plaintiff’s untimely death.”
Lisa shared a tribute to her late husband on Facebook on June 2, two days after his memorial service. “Thanks to all of you for your messages about Conor’s passing,” she wrote alongside a heartfelt photo of him. “My fella lived large and loud! His cancer moved quickly, which was devastating to all who loved him, but there is comfort in the fact that his pain wasn’t prolonged. He is the love of my life. He was an incredible father to his three children, and a great support to many many others as well.”
source: people.com
