Tune In: Oliver Tree Memorial Service to Be Livestreamed This July

A memorial service and celebration of life has been scheduled for Oliver Tree, the artist born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California, who tragically passed away at the age of 32. Tree died following a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, June 14, 2026, an accident that claimed the lives of six people, including passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim, Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac. The service is set for July 25, 2026, at the UCSC Quarry Amphitheater, an outdoor venue on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. A public livestream is planned due to limited space, with details to be announced shortly.

Oliver Tree Nickell began his relentless creative journey at just five years old, producing skits, music, and drawings. He also spent a decade racing BMX, cyclocross, mountain biking, and free-style dirt jumping. In his teenage years, he performed as a DJ under the name “Kryph,” opening for prominent artists in the dance scene. At 17, he signed with R&S Records as “Tree,” releasing his first official body of work, “Splitting Branches.” He pursued higher education at San Francisco State University and later graduated from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2017.

At CalArts, Oliver cultivated the comprehensive “Oliver Tree” project, encompassing production, direction, acting, touring, filmmaking, and songwriting. In 2016, he introduced “Turbo,” a loud, colorful, and humorous character developed for the internet, and released his first single as Oliver Tree, “When I’m Down,” in collaboration with Whethan, which achieved gold certification. His career saw a significant boost in 2017 when he signed with Atlantic Records, leading to the release of his viral hit “Alien Boy,” produced with childhood friend Casey Mattson and frequent collaborator Imad Royal, a song that truly encapsulated his unique brand.

Oliver Tree’s debut major-label album, “Ugly Is Beautiful,” released in 2020, soared to the top 15 on the Billboard 200 and clinched the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. A deluxe version of the album featured “Life Goes On,” a track produced with long-time friend Getter, which became a global commercial hit and reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in 2022. His collaboration with Robin Schulz on “Miss You” also became a worldwide sensation, peaking at No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022 and earning a nomination for Best International Song at The BRIT Awards in 2024.

Throughout his career, Oliver never ceased reinventing himself, with each album introducing a distinct character within the Oliver Tree universe: Turbo for “Ugly is Beautiful” (2020), Shawney Bravo for “Cowboy Tears” (2022), and Cornelius Cummings for “Alone in A Crowd” (2023). For his final album, “Love You Madly Hate You Badly,” released in April 2026 via Atlantic Records, he shed his personas to present his authentic self, having written and produced the entire album. He was on his “World’s First World Tour,” also described as a 7-continent world tour, which led him to travel South America.

Oliver was more than a musician; he was a true artist who perceived the world as a stage for his performance art, constantly pushing boundaries across various media and life itself. He deeply cared about spreading art, joy, laughter, and love, seamlessly blending his characters with his authentic self, leaving audiences to ponder what was real or a prank. His “Ugly Is Beautiful” mantra, preached both on and off stage, reflected his belief in finding beauty in the ordinary and his desire to create an inclusive environment where everyone felt they belonged and could realize their true potential. Over the past two years, he was a global citizen, visiting over 100 countries, engaging with local cultures, giving concerts, and even becoming an honorary Maasai tribal chief in Tanzania.

In his will, Oliver established a non-profit foundation, “Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses.” This foundation aims to support and encourage young artists, providing grants for projects in music, film, installation, and performance art, aligned with his belief that hands-on creation is crucial for mastering one’s craft. Donations to honor his legacy and support aspiring artists can be made at olivertreefoundation.com. His final live performance took place in São Paulo on June 6, 2026.

Oliver is survived by his loving parents, Jesse and Christine Nickell, his brother Jessup (Zoe), grandmothers Ann Begin and Lorraine Nickell, along with aunts, uncles, and many beloved cousins. He considered his extensive team, including manager Dan Awad, Paul Donatelli, bandmates Casey Mattson, Amir Oosman, Jake Jamieson, and Jmsey, and creative collaborators like Ethan Snoreck (Whethan), Ryan Farber, Steve Zilberman, Jacob Dennis, Sebastian Hackett, and his love Fiona Chernavskaya, as family. His boundless imagination, contagious laugh, and prolific creativity left an indelible mark on the world, always reminding everyone with his enduring mantra: “No matter how strange you think you look, no matter how ugly you feel, you are beautiful.”