One week after Oliver Tree died in a midair helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, his team confirmed that his body had been returned to California and that his final wish, a foundation specifically designed to redirect his wealth back into the arts, is officially moving forward.
The indie pop eccentric, born Oliver Tree Nickell, passed away on June 14 at just 32 years old, alongside five other people, when two helicopters collided over the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood and crashed into the parking lot of an electric vehicle dealership.
He was in the middle of a 70-concert world tour spanning 30 countries. Six lives were lost that morning, and the music world has not stopped reeling since.
The announcement came via a post on Tree’s official Instagram account on Sunday, June 21, shared by his team. The message confirmed that his remains had made the journey home and introduced the world to what will now carry his name forward.
He Wrote This Into His Will Before He Ever Got on That Helicopter
“Oliver is now back in California, where he can finally rest,” the post read, per the update shared by his team. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon.”
And here is the part that makes this even more remarkable: this was not something his team improvised out of grief in the moment. The statement noted that Tree had put this foundation together himself before his passing and that it was specifically included in his will.
His team confirmed they intend to honor every part of it. “We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world,” the post continued. “That was his final wish.”
This was not a surprise to anyone who had been paying close attention to Oliver Tree over the past few months.
Oliver Tree Said Loud and Clear: His Family Was Getting Nothing
Back in April, Tree sat down for an appearance on the Zach Sang Show and laid out his financial philosophy in terms that were completely, chaotically, one hundred percent him.
“When I die, I’ve set it up, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one’s going to get a penny,” he told the host, according to PEOPLE. He did leave room for one exception, clarifying that if he had children, he would fund their education. “I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement,” he said. “But there’s not going to be a silver spoon.” Beyond that, he was firm: the money was going back to artists.
During that same conversation, Tree also reflected on the nature of artistic legacy, saying that people tend to appreciate you more when you are no longer around. Whether he knew it or not, he was describing exactly the wave of tributes that would flood social media just weeks later.
The Crash That Stopped the Music Industry Cold
Tree had been traveling as part of his World’s First World Tour, a massive undertaking with 70 planned concerts across 30 countries, in support of his fourth and final album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly. He had performed in São Paulo on June 6, and his next date was set for Lisbon, Portugal, on July 1.
The two helicopters collided midair over Recreio dos Bandeirantes, crashing into the parking lot of an electric vehicle dealership. The impact ignited a fire that engulfed roughly 20 cars, with the wreckage requiring three to four times as much water as standard car fires to extinguish.
According to the Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro, in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the investigation remained ongoing at the time of publication. Authorities confirmed that forensic examinations were being conducted and that victim identification was being handled by the Afrânio Peixoto Forensic Medical Institute.
Tree had built a significant following on social media, particularly on TikTok, where he amassed 15.4 million followers. His signature hit “Life Goes On” appeared in over 3.7 million videos on the platform alone. The tributes that followed his death came from across the industry: Diplo, Post Malone, Bebe Rexha, Kid Cudi, KSI, T-Pain, and Tree’s ex-girlfriend Melanie Martinez were among the artists who paid their respects publicly.
Martinez described herself as an “absolute wreck” after hearing the news, writing that Tree had “such a soft heart and was a true artist in every way.” She added that his ability to lead creatively while holding onto what she called a childlike sense of wonder had been one of the things she admired most about him.
His Name Lives On, Exactly the Way He Planned It
The foundation’s full name, “Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses,” sounds like something he absolutely typed himself at 2 a.m. with full conviction and zero hesitation.
That is, honestly, the most fitting tribute of all. His team’s post opened with a message of gratitude to the fans, friends, and collaborators who have shown up in the days since his death. “The constant love, support, and positivity is helping the family, friends and collaborators make it through these extremely difficult times,” the post read.
What Tree built in his abbreviated 32 years was not just a catalog of oddly catchy songs or a string of viral moments. He built a philosophy around what success should actually mean, and he codified it in a legal document before he ever boarded that helicopter.
He told Billboard in 2023 that he saw his eccentric persona as a kind of mirror held up to society, a way to say something real while everyone assumed he was just being weird.
The foundation, with its absurd and earnest name, says the same thing one final time. The money was never his. He was just holding it for the next generation of artists who have not yet been discovered.
