Oliver Tree’s mom has shared a brief but beautiful tribute to her son, who died last weekend in a helicopter crash, aged 32.
“Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place,” writes Tree’s mother, Christine Begin Nickell. “We are so proud of you. RIP,” the message continues, with three heart emojis. The post is accompanied with a photo of a young, glowing Tree, without the bowl haircut and dark glasses that the artist wore like noone else.
Tree, the genre-blending singer, songwriter and producer, was one of six people reportedly killed when two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last Sunday (June 14).
The eclectic artist, whose full name was Oliver Tree Nickell, had been traveling through South America as part of his World’s First World Tour.
Born on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California, Tree launched his music career with the EP, Demons, in 2013. He gained wider attention with the 2016 single “When I’m Down,” which helped lead to a deal with Atlantic Records the following year.
His full-length albums included 2020’s Ugly Is Beautiful, 2022’s Cowboy Tears, 2023’s Alone in a Crowd, and a fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, which dropped in April of this year. During his lifetime, he landed several hits with “Life Goes On,” which peaked at No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in 2022, and “Miss You,” his collaboration with Robin Schulz, which reached No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022.
Following the release of his most recent album, Tree announced he was parting ways with his record company Atlantic Records, part of the Warner Music Group, giving the record label a dressing down in a social post.
On Monday, the major music company shared a statement on his passing. “We are shocked and saddened by Oliver’s untimely passing,” the message reads. “He was a remarkable talent—a gifted artist and songwriter who forged a thoroughly unique and captivating style. Oliver was endlessly inventive and a true original. He was a cherished friend to many and a beloved member of our music family. He profoundly loved music and his fans, and his absence will be deeply felt. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Oliver’s family, friends, and team, as well as the families and loved ones of all those affected by this tragic event.”
Melanie Martinez shared her own statement on Tree, whom the alt-pop singer-songwriter dated a few years ago. Martinez began a Sunday (June 14) Instagram Stories post by writing that she’d “been an absolute wreck” since the news of the fatal accident had reached her. “It’s really hard to understand how someone who you once shared such a specific and formative time of your life with can all of a sudden be gone,” she shared. “He was so dedicated to his art which I admired and respected so deeply.”
And during his concert Tuesday, June 16, at Toronto’s Rogers Stadium, Post Malone remarked: “I feel like tonight will be, for me, a celebration of the life of an absolutely beautiful, beautiful man.” He continued, “A gentlemen I knew and was so beautiful, and inspired the world with his art, and just his heart and his soul. Ladies and gentlemen, we lost a beautiful soul named Oliver Tree.”
