Oliver Tree’s loved ones and fans celebrated his life Saturday with a quirky ceremony fitting his legacy.
The singer died in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month. He was just 32 years old.
His celebration of life took place at the Quarry Amphitheater in Santa Cruz, California, the city where he was born and raised. In front of the stage, three mannequins dressed like the singer — sporting bright windbreakers, sunglasses, cowboy hats and blunt bowl cuts — laid in coffins in a bizarre display.
Logan Paul and Diplo were among the speakers during the ceremony. Diplo called Tree the “coolest motherf–ker” he’d ever met in his life, while Paul called him “a rockstar.”
Paul poked fun at Tree’s “dumb hair” and cracked jokes accusing the singer of taking Ozempic.
“I have a strong feeling he’s watching us all from somewhere in the heavens injecting Ozempic for angels,” Paul said. “Probably super disappointed in this production.”
Tree — known for his popular songs “Life Goes On” and “Miss You” — was identified as one of six casualties in the tragic helicopter crash. The other victims include passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (also known as Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi), Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Two helicopters collided in the air while flying over an electric vehicle yard, CNN reported. At least 20 cars were set on fire from the collision after being hit at the crash site.
Tree was visiting South America at the time as part of his “The World’s First World Tour.”
Tree’s mom, Christine Begin Nickell, shared in a heartbreaking Facebook post mourning his death, “Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place. We are so proud of you. RIP.”
His family later announced they were honoring his “final wish” to start a foundation dedicated to helping up-and-coming artists.
“Oliver is now back in California where he can finally rest,” their Instagram post read. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon.”
They continued, “We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish.”
Ahead of his death, Tree said he didn’t believe in passing his money to his family to inherit.
“I don’t believe that any of the wealth, or the things that get made from it, is mine,” he explained on theApril 24 episode of the “Zach Sang Show.” “So when I die, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one’s going to get a penny.”
“The idea is, when I die, all the money is going to go back to artists,” he added.
