Oliver Tree‘s mother has paid tribute to the late artist, with Post Malone also dedicating his recent show in Toronto to the “beautiful man”.
The US singer-songwriter, rapper and producer (full name Oliver Tree Nickell) died in a helicopter crash in Brazil last Sunday (June 14). He was 32 years old. Among those paying their respects online were Kid Cudi, KSI, Bebe Rexha and Tree’s ex-girlfriend Melanie Martinez.
Tree’s mum, Christine Begin Nickell, has now posted a tribute to her son on Facebook. “Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place,” she wrote alongside a photograph of a young Tree.
“We are so proud of you. RIP.” She included two heart emojis on either side of a broken heart emoji. See below.
Elsewhere, on Tuesday (June 16), Post Malone took a moment during his concert at Rogers Stadium in Toronto to honour Tree.
“I feel like tonight will be, for me, a celebration of the life of an absolutely beautiful, beautiful man,” he told the audience. “[He was] a gentleman I knew, and was so beautiful and inspired the world with his art, and just his heart and his soul.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we lost a beautiful man named Oliver Tree.”
After the crowd cheered and applauded, Posty continued: “I just want you to know, dude, that we love you so very much. We love you, brother, we love you. We’re just gonna have a great night and celebrate this gentleman. We just love him.”
Watch a fan-shot clip of the moment here:
Post Malone Tribute to Oliver Tree
byu/Optimal_Discount3058 inolivertree
Post Malone is currently out on the road for his 2026 ‘Big Ass Stadium Tour’.
Tree’s passing was confirmed by the Rio De Janeiro Civil Police, who identified him as being among six people killed when two helicopters collided mid-air over the Recreio dos Bandeirantes area. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Tree rose to fame with his viral hit ‘When I’m Down’ (2016), and signed to Atlantic Records in 2017. His fanbase grew thanks to his blend of alternative pop and absurdist humour, with his distinctive bowl haircut and oversized clothing giving him a unique public image.
The musician released his debut studio album, ‘Ugly Is Beautiful’, in 2020. It included the platinum-certified single ‘Hurt’ and established Tree as a crossover star.
Reviewing the record, NME wrote: “Injecting humour into everything he does while offering a surrealist escape from the mundane everyday – it’s easy to see how Tree’s outlandishness has made him the digital age’s definitive rockstar.”
Three more albums followed in the form of ‘Cowboy Tears’ (2022), ‘Alone In A Crowd’ (2023) and ‘Love You Madly Hate You Badly’ (2026). NME named Tree as one of the standout acts at the Governors Ball 2023.
Meanwhile, Tree had revealed earlier this year that he planned to use his will to give his money “back to artists”.