Oliver Tree’s mother Christine Begin Nickell said that her late son was ‘happy and excited’ a day prior to his death in a June 14 helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.The late musical artist’s mother was one of the speakers who appeared Saturday at a celebration of life event held at the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater, as seen in a clip livestreamed on Tree’s YouTube page.Nickell told the crowd that she had sent Tree a text message the day prior to the crash inquiring about how he had been doing with a goal to quit smoking, ‘as he promised he would give it up once he was on tour.’She continued, ‘He FaceTimed me immediately and let out a huge puff of cigarette smoke in my face – but he was so happy and excited about life that day.’Nickell said that her late son told her he had been looking forward to traveling to a house atop a mountain ‘to make TikToks and music with his friends,’ as ‘he loved having epic days – each one more memorable than the last.’ Also killed with the 32-year-old singer in the deadly incident included YouTube star Gaspar ‘Gaspi’ Prim, 23; director/screenwriter Lucas Vignale, 29, music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, 21, and pilots Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza. Oliver Tree’s mother Christine Begin Nickell said that her late son was ‘happy and excited’ a day prior to his death in a June 14 helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The singer was warmly remembered in a memorial event Saturday following his passing in a June 14 helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pictured in Boston in May 2022 The emotional event also included tribute clips, musical performances and speeches in memory of the beloved late artist. Three caskets paying homage to different personas Tree had in his work were on display in the livestream of the event.Among the other notable names in attendance at the memorial event included Logan Paul, Diplo and Ethan Klein.Paul in a speech described the late artist as ‘everyone’s best friend,’ adding that ‘he was an adventurer with an incomparable zest for life and the ultimate ability to make anyone feel seen and heard.’Paul continued, ‘Oliver is a generational artist whose legacy and music will last forever, and he’d be proud of all of us for keeping our heads up high by celebrating the impact of his time here on Earth, because at the end of the day, life goes on.’Donations made at the memorial will be forwarded to Oliver Tree Foundation for Baby Geniuses, which is set up to help fund up and coming artists.Another event slated in memory of the late artist was a paddle-out memorial on Monday morning at Santa Cruz’s Cowell Beach. The event, which is sponsored by the Santa Cruz Board Riders, will be open to the public.’We want to share the love for Oliver & the beauty of the ocean for a celebration of life paddle out,’ the organization said on Instagram July 18. ‘Santa Cruz community is coming together to host Oliver’s paddle out & will have volunteers helping people in & out of water.’ The late musical artist’s mother was one of the speakers who appeared Saturday at a celebration of life event held at the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater, as seen in a clip published on Tree’s YouTube page Fans of the beloved late artist were seen in attendance at the celebration of life Social media star Logan Paul was one of the guest speakers at the event on Saturday Nickell previously posted a memorial to her late son on June 18, as she posted a childhood shot of the late musical artist when he was younger, expressing her gratitude for her son and his life.’Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place,’ Nickell wrote in a Facebook post. ‘We are so proud of you. RIP.’The poignant message from Tree’s mother came after his girlfriend Fiona Chernavskaya took to Instagram Stories to thank her followers for ‘all the kind words’ following the Life Goes On singer’s tragic death. ‘I appreciate every ounce of support at this time,’ Chernavskaya said. ‘There are so many who have been affected by his passing, please show them love too.’ She said in reference to the late singer on the platform Tuesday: ‘To my best friend, we traveled to 43 countries, and all 7 continents together. ‘The magic, inspiration and joy you brought to my life and others, will never be forgotten or replaced.She added, ‘You’d always tell me when we argued, if things don’t work out in this lifetime, you will find me in the next. I love you buggy.’Tree’s final concert took place on June 6 in São Paulo, Brazil, and he had been slated to perform in Lisbon, Portugal on July 1. The enigmatic late performer donned a Shrek costume for an April 24 interview on the Zach Sang Show in support of his album Love You Madly Hate You Badly. Nickell posted a childhood shot of the late musical artist when he was younger, expressing her gratitude for her son Tree’s final concert took place on June 6 in São Paulo, Brazil, and he had been slated to perform in Lisbon, Portugal on July 1. Pictured 2022 in San Francisco The enigmatic late performer donned a Shrek costume for an April 24 interview on the Zach Sang Show in support of his album Love You Madly Hate You Badly He said in the interview of his material, ‘I don’t believe that any of the wealth or the things that get made from it is mine.’And so when I die, set it up, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one’s gonna get a penny; if I have a wife or kids or anything, [they’re] not getting a f***ing penny.’Tree, who was not married and did not have any children, continued, ‘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.”‘Tree said that he wanted to put his money back into the arts following his passing.’The idea is when I die, all the money’s gonna go back to artists,’ Tree said. ‘So I’ve set up a foundation. It’s called Dr. Oliver Tree’s Art Grants for Baby Geniuses.’And it’s set up so that basically the interest generated from my music will take mostly that, 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.’Tree spoke about how ‘historically speaking,’ interest ‘in an artist’s work go up after they die.’He added, ‘People will finally appreciate my stupid f***ing videos, my f***ing stupid songs – that’s when people appreciate you when you’re not there anymore. Anyways, they might not, doesn’t even make a difference … the art will continue to make money no matter what.’