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Oliver Trees Last Words Before Tragic Crash

Oliver Tree's mother Christine Begin Nickell said that her late son was 'happy and excited' a day prior to his death in a June 14 helicopter crash in Rio de Jan...

Bintano News

July 27, 2026

Oliver Tree's mother Christine Begin Nickell said that her late son was 'happy and excited' a day prior to his death in .

The late musical artist's mother was one of the speakers who appeared Saturday at a celebration of life event held at the University of , Santa Cruz's Quarry Amphitheater, as seen in a clip livestreamed on Tree's YouTube page.

Nickell told the crowd that she had sent Tree a text message the day prior to the crash inquiring about how he had been doing with a goal to quit smoking, 'as he promised he would give it up once he was on tour.'

She continued, 'He FaceTimed me immediately and let out a huge puff of cigarette smoke in my face - but he was so happy and excited about life that day.'

Nickell said that her late son told her he had been looking forward to traveling to a house atop a mountain 'to make TikToks and music with his friends,' as 'he loved having epic days - each one more memorable than the last.'

Also killed with the 32-year-old singer in the deadly incident included star Gaspar 'Gaspi' Prim, 23; director/screenwriter Lucas Vignale, 29, music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, 21, and pilots Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza.

Oliver Tree's mother Christine Begin Nickell said that her late son was 'happy and excited' a day prior to his death in a June 14 helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Oliver Tree was warmly remembered in a memorial event Saturday following his passing in a June 14 helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pictured in Boston in May 2022

The emotional event also included tribute clips, musical performances and speeches in memory of the beloved late artist.

The late musical artist's mother was one of the speakers who appeared Saturday at a celebration of life event held at the University of California, Santa Cruz's Quarry Amphitheater, as seen in a clip published on Tree's YouTube page

Fans of the beloved late artist were seen in attendance at the celebration of life

Social media star Logan Paul was one of the guest speakers at the event on Saturday

Nickell previously posted a memorial to her late son on June 18, as she posted a childhood shot of the late musical artist when he was younger, expressing her gratitude for her son and his life.

Nickell posted a childhood shot of the late musical artist when he was younger, expressing her gratitude for her son

Tree's final concert took place on June 6 in São Paulo, Brazil, and he had been slated to perform in Lisbon, Portugal on July 1. Pictured 2022 in San Francisco

The enigmatic late performer donned a Shrek costume for an April 24 interview on the Zach Sang Show in support of his album Love You Madly Hate You Badly

He said in the interview of his material, 'I don't believe that any of the wealth or the things that get made from it is mine.

Tree, who was not married and did not have any children, continued, 'I'll get my kids through college, that's the agreement, but they're not going to be a silver spoon. They're taken care of "because my dad worked on some stuff in the 2000s."'

Tree said that he wanted to put his money back into the arts following his passing.

'The idea is when I die, all the money's gonna go back to artists,' Tree said. 'So I've set up a foundation. It's called Dr. Oliver Tree's Art Grants for Baby Geniuses.

'And it's set up so that basically the interest generated from my music will take mostly that, but there's also room for other money because when I die, my art will continue to have residuals - and probably be worth more than it is now.'

Tree spoke about how 'historically speaking,' interest 'in an artist's work go up after they die.'

He added, 'People will finally appreciate my stupid f***ing videos, my f***ing stupid songs - that's when people appreciate you when you're not there anymore. Anyways, they might not, doesn't even make a difference ... the art will continue to make money no matter what.'

Oliver Trees Last Words Before Tragic Crash

Tree, who was not married and did not have any children, continued, 'I'll get my kids through college, that's the agreement, but they're not going to be a silver spoon. They're taken care of "because my dad worked on some stuff in the 2000s."'

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