Oliver Tree Memorial Launches Artist Grant in Santa Cruz

Friends, family, and fans gathered in Santa Cruz, California, on Saturday, July 25, 2026, for a public Celebration of Life honoring musician and performer Oliver Tree, six weeks after his death in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro. The 32-year-old artist was remembered with a ceremony that embraced the surreal and absurdist style that defined his career.

The event was held at the Quarry Amphitheater in Tree's hometown. In a fitting tribute to his distinctive visual persona, three mannequins dressed in his signature bright windbreakers, sunglasses, cowboy hats, and bowl-cut wigs were displayed in coffins in front of the stage. Guest speakers included fellow artists Diplo and Logan Paul, who delivered remarks blending humor with heartfelt remembrance.

Diplo described Tree as the coolest person he had ever met. Paul, a close friend, eulogized Tree with comedic affection, joking about his hair and suggesting the late singer was watching from above, likely disappointed in the production. Paul called Tree everyone's best friend, an adventurer with an incomparable zest for life and the ultimate ability to make anyone feel seen and heard. He affirmed that Tree was a generational...