American alt-pop singer and internet personality Oliver Tree is being remembered not only for his music and eccentric online persona, but also for a deeply personal vision he once shared about what he wanted to do with his wealth after death.
The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Oliver Tree Nickell, died on Sunday, June 14, after a fatal helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was 32.
According to authorities, two helicopters collided midair in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a western suburb of Rio de Janeiro, before crashing into the parking lot of an electric car dealership. The impact reportedly set around 20 vehicles on fire, with firefighters confirming that all six people aboard the aircraft were killed. One of the helicopters was carrying five people, while the other was just the pilot.
Brazilian music producer, Argentine video director and Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim, known online as Gaspi, also died in the crash in the same helicopter as Oliver.
Officials said an investigation is now underway to determine what caused the collision, adding that the victims have yet to be formally identified due to the severity of burns sustained in the crash.
In the wake of the tragedy, fans online have begun revisiting one of Oliver’s recent interviews from April, where the artist opened up about his long-term plans for his wealth, revealing that he intended to leave behind not a family inheritance, but a legacy dedicated entirely to supporting artists.
Speaking during an appearance on The Zach Sang Show podcast, Oliver shared that he had already arranged for all his money to eventually go toward helping creatives through a foundation he personally established.
“I don’t believe that any of the wealth or the things that get made from [music] is mine,” he said. “And so when I die, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one’s going get a penny. If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a f—ing penny. I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement, but they’re not going to be a silver spoon. They’re taken care of, because my dad worked on some stuff in the 2000s.”
Oliver went on to explain that instead of passing his fortune to family members, he envisioned redirecting it toward a long-term initiative aimed at supporting fellow artists.
“The idea is when I die, all the money is going to be back on artists. I’ve set up a foundation called Dr. Oliver Trees Art Grants for Baby Geniuses,” he maintained.
“It’s set up so that basically the interest generated from my music will take mostly that,” he said. “But there’s also room for other money, because when I die, my art will continue to have residuals and probably be worth more than it is now”.
Reflecting further, Oliver also acknowledged what he believed to be a difficult truth for many creatives where recognition often grows after an artist is gone.
“People will finally appreciate my stupid f—ing videos and my stupid f—ing songs. That’s when people appreciate you, when you’re not there anymore...They might not, it doesn’t even make a difference. But historically speaking, artists worth go up after they die,” he expressed.
The singer also emphasized that while he values education and acknowledges the privilege he had in pursuing school, he believed the funds should directly help artists focus on physically creating their craft.
“I want it to go to the actual physical making of art,” he continued. “You’re not allowed to buy equipment for the money. You’re not allowed to go to education and school for the money. You’re allowed to physically hire people to help produce stuff, you’re allowed to rent gear and equipment to make things. You’re allowed to use the budget to physically produce stuff. But that’s the belief for me”.
Oliver further shared that he had already designed a system that would allow trusted collaborators to continue managing the project even after his passing.
“And I have basically a committee that I’ve set up when I pass it and I plan to do it while I’m alive, where basically everyone will vote on who the money goes to each year, and a few different people, and it will be in the spirit of the Oliver Tree Project. So collaborators I made music or film or art with when I was alive will get to make the decision of where the money goes.”
“Hopefully it can last for a hundred years and people can also donate,” he said.
Following the resurfaced clip, social media has since been flooded with emotional reactions from fans and netizens, many expressing admiration for how thoughtfully Oliver had planned to use his success to uplift future generations of artists. Others shared heartbreak over the singer’s sudden and tragic passing.
Oliver rose to global fame for his hit songs “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” as well as his instantly recognizable bowl haircut and eccentric, meme-worthy internet persona that helped him build a loyal online following.
His 2020 album Ugly Is Beautiful reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts, while also earning him Kids’ Choice Award nominations for Favorite Social Music Star in both 2022 and 2023.
At the time of his passing, Oliver had more than 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with several of his biggest songs surpassing 700 million streams. He was also on his The World’s First World Tour in support of his latest album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, and was meant to make stops in more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, United States, among others.