Oliver Tree's mother, Christine Begin Nickell, shared poignant details of her last conversation with her son days before his fatal helicopter crash at a memorial service on Saturday.
"He was so happy and excited about life," Nickell recalled during an emotional speech at the celebration of life ceremony, held at the Quarry Amphitheater in Santa Cruz, California, where Tree was born and raised.
Nickell recounted that she had texted her son about quitting smoking, a promise he had made to her before going on tour. Tree responded by FaceTiming her immediately and, with a laugh, blew a puff of cigarette smoke towards the camera. He then told her he was planning a helicopter trip to a mountaintop house the following day to create music and TikTok videos with friends, describing it as one of his "epic days."
Tree, whose full name was Oliver Tree, died last month at the age of 32 in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was in South America as part of his "The World's First World Tour" at the time of the accident.
He was among six individuals who perished when two helicopters collided mid-air over an electric vehicle yard. The other victims included passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (also known as Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi), Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac. The collision reportedly caused at least 20 cars to catch fire at the crash site.
During the memorial service, the singer was remembered by loved ones and fans. A peculiar display featured three mannequins dressed in outfits resembling the artist—complete with windbreakers, sunglasses, cowboy hats, and bowl cuts—placed in coffins on stage. Speakers at the ceremony included Logan Paul and Diplo.
Following Tree's death, his family announced their intention to honor his "final wish" by establishing a foundation aimed at supporting emerging artists. The foundation, to be named "Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses," is expected to launch soon. His family posted on Instagram that "Oliver is now back in California where he can finally rest."