A memorial service and celebration of life is planned for Oliver Tree, who died on June 14 in a tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of six people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A memorial service is scheduled for July 25, and will be a public livestream “due to limited space for family and friends,” a representative for the artist told Billboard.
The event will be held at the UCSC Quarry Amphitheater, an outdoor venue on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Details on how to watch the livestream have not yet been released, but will be announced soon.
Santa Cruz-born artist Oliver Tree Nickell died at just 32 years old while traveling through South America on his first world tour. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Primm, and Lucas Brito Chavez, and pilots Alexandre Sousa and Charles Marsillac.
Tree’s fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, was released by Atlantic Records in April. His last live performance took place on June 6th in São Paulo.
In the obituary just released by his family, he is remembered as “more than just a musician, he was a true artist in every sense of the word, who saw the world as a stage for his performance art.”
“Oliver cared deeply about spreading art, joy, laughter, and love to the world. He blended his characters with his authentic self so seamlessly that audiences often wondered what was real or what was a prank. He found beauty in the everyday and always preached his ‘ugly is beautiful’ mantra on and off stage.” He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Beneath the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone could belong and reach their true potential. ” (Read the full obituary provided by Tree’s family below.)
Among Tree’s musical accomplishments, his major label debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in 2020. His collaboration with Robin Schulz, “Miss You,” reached number one on the US charts. It reached No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022, and Tree’s song “Life Goes On” reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart that year.
Tree’s family is requesting that contributions be made to his foundation, Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extraordinary Arts Grant for Gifted Children, which Tree had outlined in his will before his death. The funds raised will support and encourage young artists to pursue their dreams, just as Tree hopes. “Oliver believed that the most valuable way for artists to learn their craft was not to study, but to actually get their hands dirty and make things. The Foundation provides grants to artists working in the fields of music, film, installation, and performance art.” You can learn more and make a donation at olivertreefoundation.com.
Please read the obituary provided by his family below.
Oliver Tree Nickell, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend, passed away on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the age of 32 in a tragic accident. Known as Oliver Tree, he was an artist, storyteller, singer, songwriter, producer, director, editor, actor, filmmaker, entertainer, traveler, and creative force. He had just performed in São Paulo as part of his Seven Continents World Tour.
Oliver was born in Santa Cruz, California. From the beginning, Oliver always had an amazing and constant creative drive. He started producing skits, music, and drawings at the age of five. He spent 10 years racing BMX, cycle cross, cross country, mountain biking, downhill racing, and freestyle dirt jumping. Oliver has been working as a DJ since he was a teenager, and began performing shows under the name “Kryph” and began performing in front of some of the biggest artists in the dance scene. At the age of 17, he signed with R&S Records under the name ‘Tree’, where he released his first official record, ‘Splitting Branches’. During this time, he attended San Francisco State University and then graduated from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2017. CalArts has launched the “Oliver Tree” project, which includes producing, directing, acting, touring, filmmaking, and songwriting.
In 2016, he created Turbo, a loud, colorful, bright and cheerful character he created for the internet. That same year, he released his first single as Oliver Tree, in collaboration with Wethan, “When I’m Down” on all platforms. The song was a huge success and went gold. In 2017, Oliver signed with Atlantic Records and shortly after released his first viral hit, “Alien Boy,” which he produced with childhood friend Casey Mattson and frequent collaborator Imad Royal. It was a song that truly encapsulated the Oliver Tree brand. Oliver then released his debut album, “Ugly is Beautiful,” which debuted in the top 15 of the Billboard 200 and also reached number 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. Oliver also released a deluxe version of the album, which includes the song “Life Goes On,” which he produced with his longtime friend and collaborator Getter. The song catapulted Oliver to a worldwide audience and became a commercial hit. Subsequently, Oliver’s song “Miss You” with Robin Schulz became a worldwide hit and was nominated for Best International Song of 2024 (BRIT Awards). Oliver never stopped reinventing himself. Each album features a unique character from the world of Oliver Tree. From Turbo with 2020’s “Ugly Is Beautiful,” to Shawnee Bravo with 2022’s “Cowboy Tears,” to Cornelius Cummings with 2023’s “Alone in a Cloud,” to 2026’s “Love You Madly Hate You Badly,” they decided to shed their false personas and show the world their true selves on their final album. 100% written and produced by Oliver.
Oliver had a deep curiosity about the world and wanted to experience every country and culture. Over the past two years, Oliver has visited over 100 countries as a global citizen. We ate local food and ate local food. Connect with locals of all kinds. Participate in the ceremony. to perform a concert. And I record music on my laptop. He went to the Middle East, sailed in Antarctica, and became honorary chief of the Maasai tribe in Tanzania.
Oliver was more than just a musician. He was a true artist in every sense of the word, and he saw the world as a stage for performance art. He pushed the boundaries of all media and life. Oliver was on a mission to unite the world through art and inspire other artists to create. Forward-thinking, Oliver founded a non-profit organization titled Dr. Oliver Tree’s Very Grand Art Grants for Genius Babies. He wanted all his money to go toward funding other aspiring artists in all aspects of music, film, installations, and performance art projects.
Oliver cared deeply about sharing art, joy, laughter, and love with the world. He blended his characters with his authentic self so seamlessly that audiences often wondered what was real or a prank. He found beauty in the everyday and always preached the mantra “ugly is beautiful” both on and off stage. He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Beneath all the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone could belong and realize their true potential.
Oliver was a creative force of nature and a true “alien boy” among mankind. His imagination was limitless, his laughter contagious, and his creativity and ideas abundant.
Oliver is survived by his parents, Jesse and Kristin Nickell of Santa Cruz, his brother Jessup (Zoe), his grandmothers Ann Biggin and Lorraine Nickell, his aunts Cynthia Biggin, Mia Biggin (Bill Schroeder), his uncle Dan Biggin (Melissa), his aunts Sherry Kohfeldt (Dave Christopher) and Jan Lamascas (Marvin), and many loving cousins, Beth and Brianna. Caitlin, Kimmy, Maggie, Meadow, Nicholas. and many friends around the world. He considered his team and colleagues to be family. Dan Awad, Paul Donatelli. His bandmates: Casey Mattson, Amir Osman, Jake Jamison, Jimsy. His creative collaborator: Ethan Snorek, aka Whethan. Ryan Farber. Steve Zilberman. Jacob Dennis. Sebastian Hackett, his lover Fiona Chernavskaya, and many other people who influenced his projects and helped implement his vision cannot be named.
I’ll leave you with Oliver’s mantra to the world, which he says on almost every show he appears on: “No matter how weird you look, no matter how ugly you feel, you’re beautiful.”
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