Oliver Tree’s hometown, Santa Cruz, has etched his legacy into the civic record.Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 Mayor Fred Keeley has proclaimed June 29th, 2026, the day the late musician would have turned 33, “Oliver Tree Day” in the California beach city where he was born and raised, according to a copy of the proclamation shared by fans this week.
Signed and sealed, the document retroactively enshrines a birthday Tree’s admirers had already spent in mourning.The eccentric singer-songwriter, born Oliver Tree Nickell, tragically died on June 14 at the age of 32 after two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro.
His family has since launched a foundation launched in his name, ‘Dr.Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses,’ honoring a plan he’d written into his will to funnel his wealth back into the artist community.
Keeley’s proclamation credits the city’s “culture, extreme sport community and culture, and creative spirit” as influences on Tree’s work and cites his international reach as a musician, songwriter, actor, filmmaker and visual artist.His success, it continues, “has brought positive attention to Santa Cruz and serves as an inspiration to upcoming artists and creators.” The document also memorializes what it calls Tree’s message to his fans and the world: “No matter how strange you look, no matter how ugly you feel, you are beautiful.” City officials additionally recognized ‘Dr.
Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses,’ the foundation launched in the artist’s memory, which honors a plan he’d written into his will to funnel his wealth back into the artist community.The proclamation says the organization will foster emerging artists in music, installation and performing arts “in perpetuity.” It caps a summer of hometown remembrance.
Tree’s friends, family and fans recently fil...