Oliver Tree’s mother, Christine Biggin Nickel, said the day before his tragic death that her son was “very happy and excited about life.”
At a memorial service for the late musician on Saturday, Nickel detailed the last conversation they had before the helicopter crash.
“I texted Oliver the day before he died and asked him what quitting would do for him, because he had promised to quit after he finished touring,” she recalled.
“He FaceTimed me right away and blew a bunch of cigarette smoke in my face,” she laughed. “But that day he was so happy and excited about life.
“He told us that the next day he was going to take a helicopter to his house on top of a mountain to make music and do TikTok with his friends,” she said, starting to catch her breath.
“He loved having great days. Each day was more memorable than the last.”
Tree’s loved ones and fans celebrated his life Saturday with a quirky ceremony at the Quarry Amphitheater in Santa Cruz, Calif., where he was born and raised.
In front of the stage, three mannequins dressed like singers, wearing bright windbreakers, sunglasses, cowboy hats and blunt bowl cuts, lay in coffins in a bizarre display.
Logan Paul and Diplo were among the other speakers at the ceremony.
The singer died in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month. He was only 32 years old.
At the time, he was visiting South America as part of his “first world tour.”
The ‘Miss You’ songwriter has been identified as one of six victims of a tragic helicopter crash. Other victims include passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (also known as Argentine YouTuber Gaspi), Lucas Brito Chavez, and pilots Alexandre Sousa and Charles Marsillac.
Two helicopters collided while flying over an electric vehicle yard, CNN reported. At least 20 cars burst into flames after colliding at the scene of the crash.
After the singer’s death, Nickell mourned his death in a heartbreaking post on Facebook: “Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place. We are so proud of you. Rest in peace.”
His family later announced they would honor his “last wish” to establish a foundation to support up-and-coming artists.
“Oliver is now back in California and can finally rest,” the Instagram post reads. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment, the soon-to-be-launched Dr. Oliver Tree’s Very Grand Grant for Genius Babies.”
