Oliver Tree’s mom, Christine Begin Nickell, is mourning the loss of her son after he died in a helicopter crash on June 14.
“Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place. We are so proud of you. RIP,” she wrote on her Facebook page, along with three broken heart emojis, on Thursday.
Nickell also shared a never-before-seen photo of her son, who looked unrecognizable without his signature bangs and long hair.
Many friends and family members reached out in the comment section to offer their condolences, with one person saying, “We were fortunate to have known Oliver as a ‘little’ boy to a young and talented exceptional artist. Thank you to both of you, Christine and Jesse, for having tortured such a wonderful family. Rest in peace, Oliver Tree. Rudy-Virginia.”
“You raised an amazing man who inspired and left his mark on so many people. He is so sorely missed. Sending you and your family all my love,” another person wrote.
Meanwhile, another added, “May you find peace. we are so saddened by this. You are all in our thoughts. He was a spirit to be reckoned with for sure. He helped so many people through his art. So much to be proud of.”
Just two months ago, Nickell had shared a photo of Tree hugging his mom and dad, Jesse, after they attended his show at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
And in February, she shared the poster announcing Tree’s “The World’s First World Tour” that would take him to Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, where he ultimately died.
On Sunday, two helicopters crashed in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the Southwest zone of Rio de Janeiro, with the “I Miss You” singer being identified as one of six casualties. He was 32.
Per CNN, two helicopters collided early in the morning while flying over an electric vehicle yard and set fire to at least 20 cars due to the collision.
Tree had just performed a show in São Paulo on June 6 and was scheduled to pick up his tour in Lisbon on July 13.
His mom’s comments came two months after her son vowed not to leave any money to his family after his passing.
“I don’t believe that any of the wealth, or the things that get made from it, is mine,” the “Life Goes On” singer said on the April 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,” he added before insisting that if he had “a wife or kids or anything, [they’re] not getting a f–king penny.”
“I’ll get my kids through college. That’s the agreement,” he continued. “But there’s not going to be a silver spoon. The idea is, when I die, all the money is going to go back to artists.”
Instead, he wanted his money to go toward “the physical making of art” rather than education after setting up a foundation called Dr. Oliver Tree’s Art Grants for Baby Geniuses to collect the interest from his music.
“You’re not allowed to buy equipment with the money. You’re not allowed to go get education and schooling with the money,” he said. “You have to physically hire people to physically produce stuff — and you’re allowed to rent equipment to make things.
“I have basically a committee that I’ve set up when I pass — and I plan to do it while I’m alive — where basically everyone will vote on who the money goes to each year.”
Tree is survived by his parents and his girlfriend, fashion photographer Fiona Chernavskaya.
