Oliver Tree‘s mother shared a touching final message from her son at a memorial for the beloved, eccentric singer in Santa Cruz, Calif. over the weekend. Christine Nickell told the audience about the last conversation she had with Tree (born Oliver Tree Nickell), who died in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 14 at 32.
“I texted Oliver the day before he passed and asked how quitting smoking was going for him, as he promised he would give it up once he was on tour,” she told the audience on Saturday (July 25) at the “Celebration of Life” held at Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater, where she described her son as a “sweet and mischievous child” who was a “bolter,” always eager to run, explore and not look back. “He FaceTimed me immediately and let out a huge puff of cigarette smoke in my face.”
She added that Tree was “so happy and excited about life that day, he told us he was taking a helicopter ride to a house on a mountaintop the next day to make TikToks and music with his friends. He loved having epic days, each one more memorable than the last. The overwhelming outpouring of love and support since Oliver’s passing has been a profound source of comfort. I have witnessed humanity at its very best.”
The event had the touch of the absurd that Tree was known for, including three mannequins laid out in coffins dressed as the singer lined up in front of the dais, all wearing variations of his signature brightly colored windbreakers, sunglasses, bowl haircut and cowboy hats. But, as his mom noted, Tree could be silly at times, except when he sat his family down to preview his new music, insisting they sit silently and pay full attention, no phones, no talking, no distractions.
“We had to sit in complete silence and absorb his art with the same seriousness, care and reverence that he brought to creating it,” she said with a smile, surrounded by the rest of the Nickell family. “And if you didn’t, he’d shut it down and you’d get the wrath of Oliver. And those of you who know that wrath, know it was dreaded.”
In keeping with Tree’s cheeky sensibility, the event opened with a note from Ron Johnson Van Swanson, the fictional president of the singer’s independent Alien Boy Records. “On behalf of everyone here at the label, we would like to thank you for celebrating the life of our most beloved artist, Oliver Tree Nickell. Tonight’s program will immerse you through the mind and art of Oliver Tree. Our journey will begin at the very start of his roots and we will work our way up around and then all the way back down the rabbit hole,” he said in a video message.
Swanson encouraged the hundreds of fans gathered to honor Tree to sing along during the musical tribute, noting that he loved when fans sang with him. “So please do so … or else,” Swanson added ominously as flames filled the screen.
A video montage of some of Tree’s best moments on stage — including childhood footage proving that the bowl haircut was an OG part of his look from day one — ended with tape of a teenage Oliver describing his limitless opportunities. “People don’t realize their potential,” he says. “Even myself. I don’t really fully know what I’m capable of. You know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea from some of my experiences growing up that I could do pretty much anything I put my mind forth to.”
The event also featured homages from friends Diplo and Logan Paul, with DJ/producer Diplo calling Tree the coolest person he ever met. All proceeds from the event benefited Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant for Baby Geniuses, a foundation the singer’s estate launched in accordance with his will to help emerging artists.
Watch the tribute broadcast below (tribute from Christine Nickell begins at 54-minute mark).
