A memorial service and celebration of life has been set for Oliver Tree, who died following a tragic helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that took the lives of six on June 14. The service is scheduled for July 25, with a public livestream deliberate “attributable to restricted area for household and associates,” a consultant for the artist tells Billboard.
The occasion shall be held at UCSC Quarry Amphitheater, an out of doors venue positioned on the College of California, Santa Cruz campus. Particulars on how you can watch the livestream will not be but accessible, however shall be introduced shortly.
The artist, born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, handed away at simply 32 whereas touring South America on his World’s First World Tour. The opposite victims of the crash have been recognized as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Tree’s fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, was launched in April through Atlantic Information. His ultimate stay efficiency was in São Paulo on June 6.
In an obituary simply launched by his household, he’s remembered as “greater than a musician; he was a real artist in each sense of the phrase, seeing the world as a stage for his efficiency artwork.”
Partially, the tribute reads, “Oliver cared so deeply about spreading artwork, pleasure, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly together with his genuine self, which left the viewers typically questioning what’s actual or a prank. He discovered magnificence within the extraordinary and would consistently preach his “Ugly Is Stunning” mantra on and off stage. He needed everybody to really feel like they’d a spot to be themselves. Below all of the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he needed to create an inclusive surroundings the place everybody belonged and will understand their true potential.” (Learn the obituary supplied by Tree’s household in full beneath.)
Amongst Tree’s musical accomplishments, his debut major-label album, Ugly Is Stunning, topped Billboard‘s Prime Rock & Different Albums chart at No. 1 in 2020. “Miss You,” a collaboration with Robin Schulz, reached o. 4 on the Scorching Dance/Digital Songs chart in 2022, and Tree’s track “Life Goes On” reached No. 7 on Billboard‘s Scorching Rock & Different Songs chart the identical yr.
Tree’s household requests donations be made in his honor to his basis, Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extraordinarily Epic Artwork Grant for Child Geniuses, which Tree had outlined in his will earlier than his demise. Funds collected will help and encourage younger artists to comply with their goals, as Tree wished. Its mission assertion: “Oliver believed probably the most useful manner for artists to grasp their craft was not by finding out, however by bodily getting their palms soiled and creating issues. The muse supplies grants to artists working in music, movie, set up, and efficiency artwork.” Full particulars could be discovered, and donations could be made, at olivertreefoundation.com.
Learn the obituary supplied by his household beneath:
Oliver Tree Nickell, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and pal, handed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in a tragic accident on the age of 32. Often called Oliver Tree, he was an artist, storyteller, singer, songwriter, producer, director, editor, actor, filmmaker, entertainer, traveler and artistic power; he had simply carried out in São Paulo as a part of his 7-continent world tour.
Oliver was born in Santa Cruz, California. From the start, Oliver at all times had probably the most astonishing and relentless inventive drive. He started producing skits, music, and drawings as early as 5 years outdated. He spent ten years racing BMX, cycle cross, cross nation, mountain biking, downhill racing and free-style grime leaping. Oliver was a DJ in his teenage years and began performing exhibits beneath the identify “Kryph”, the place he opened up for giant artists within the dance scene. At 17, he signed with R&S Information, beneath the moniker “Tree”, the place he put out his first official physique of labor “Splitting Branches”. Throughout this era, he attended San Francisco State College and later graduated from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2017. At CalArts, Oliver created the “Oliver Tree” challenge, which included producing, directing, performing, touring, film-making, and song-writing.
In 2016, “Turbo” was born, a personality he developed for the web, who was loud, colourful, vivid and hilarious. That very same yr, he launched his first single on all platforms as Oliver Tree, in collaboration with Whethan titled “After I’m Down”. The track grew to become an enormous success and went gold. In 2017, Oliver signed with Atlantic Information and shortly after launched his first viral hit track “Alien Boy” which was produced together with his childhood pal Casey Mattson, in addition to frequent collaborator Imad Royal. It was a track that actually encapsulated the Oliver Tree model. Oliver then went on to launch his debut album “Ugly Is Stunning”, which hit the highest 15 of Billboard 200 and reached #1 on Billboard‘s Prime Rock Albums and Different Albums charts. Oliver additionally launched a deluxe model of the album which included the track “Life Goes On”, a observe that was produced with long-time pal and collaborator Getter. This track propelled Oliver into a worldwide viewers and was a industrial hit. Adopted by the success of Oliver’s track “Miss You”, with Robin Schulz, which grew to become a worldwide hit and was nominated for Finest Worldwide Tune (The BRIT Awards) in 2024. Oliver by no means stopped reinventing himself. Every album featured a definite character within the Oliver Tree universe: Turbo for “Ugly is Stunning” in 2020, Shawney Bravo for “Cowboy Tears” in 2022, Cornelius Cummings for “Alone in A Crowd” in 2023 up till “Love You Madly Hate You Badly” in 2026, the place he eliminated the faux personas and determined to indicate the world his true self for his ultimate album which was 100% written and produced by Oliver.
Oliver had a deep curiosity concerning the world and needed to expertise each nation and tradition. Over the previous two years, Oliver was a worldwide citizen, visiting over 100 nations: consuming native delicacies; connecting with locals of all types; taking part in ceremonies; giving concert events; and recording music on his laptop computer. He went to the Center East, sailed in Antarctica and have become an honorary Maasai tribal chief in Tanzania.
Oliver was greater than a musician; he was a real artist in each sense of the phrase, seeing the world as a stage for his efficiency artwork. He pushed boundaries in each type of media and life. Oliver was on a mission to deliver the world collectively by artwork and provoking different artists to create. Being a ahead thinker, Oliver created a non-profit entitled “Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extraordinarily Epic Artwork Grant for Child Geniuses”. He needed all of his cash to enter funding different aspiring artists in all aspects: music, movie, set up and efficiency artwork tasks.
Oliver cared so deeply about spreading artwork, pleasure, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly together with his genuine self, which left the viewers typically questioning what’s actual or a prank. He discovered magnificence within the extraordinary and would consistently preach his “Ugly Is Stunning” mantra on and off stage. He needed everybody to really feel like they’d a spot to be themselves. Below all of the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he needed to create an inclusive surroundings the place everybody belonged and will understand their true potential.
Oliver was a inventive power of nature, a real “Alien Boy” amongst human beings. His creativeness was boundless, his giggle was contagious and his creativity and concepts have been prolific.
Oliver is survived by his dad and mom, Jesse & Christine Nickell of Santa Cruz, brother Jessup (Zoe), Grandmothers Ann Start & Lorraine Nickell, Aunts Cynthia Start, Mia Start (Invoice Schroeder), Uncle Dan Start (Melissa), Aunts Sheree Kouffeld (Dave Christopher) and Jan Lamascus (Marvin), many beloved cousins, Beth, Breanna, Kaitlin, Kimmy, Maggie, Meadow and Nicolas; and quite a few associates worldwide. He thought-about his staff and colleagues his household: Dan Awad, Paul Donatelli; his bandmates: Casey Mattson, Amir Oosman, Jake Jamieson, Jmsey; his inventive collaborators: Ethan Snoreck aka Whethan; Ryan Farber; Steve Zilberman; Jacob Dennis; Sebastian Hackett; his love Fiona Chernavskaya, in addition to many others who touched his challenge and helped him execute his imaginative and prescient, who’re too innumerable to be named.
We’ll depart you with a quote which Oliver mentioned at nearly each present he carried out at, his mantra to the world: “Regardless of how unusual you assume you look, regardless of how ugly you are feeling, you might be lovely.”
