Entertainment

Singer Oliver Tree Was Killed in a Helicopter Collision Over Rio de Janeiro at 32

By Erica Coleman · June 15, 2026

Oliver Tree posted a video on Instagram Saturday of himself playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood. He had performed in São Paulo on June 6 as part of a 30-country world tour. His next scheduled show was July 1 in Lisbon.

He did not make it.

Two helicopters collided midair Sunday morning over Recreio dos Bandeirantes in western Rio de Janeiro and crashed into a parking lot below, killing all six people aboard. One helicopter carried five passengers — Tree, Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim Díaz, Lucas Vignale, Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilot Alexandre Souza. The other carried only its pilot, Charles Marsillac. There were no survivors.

Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said one helicopter came down on the lot of an electric vehicle dealership, igniting a fire that consumed approximately 20 cars before it was extinguished. The second helicopter was found roughly 100 meters away. Fire service spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fábio Contreras told CNN Brasil that wreckage was scattered hundreds of meters in every direction.

Police confirmed Tree’s name was on the passenger manifest provided to aviation authorities but said the bodies were too badly burned to be formally identified. Brazil’s Air Force deployed investigators from the Aeronautical Accident Investigation Center to determine what caused the collision.

Tree was born Oliver Tree Nickell on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California. He was 32. He was known for a genre-bending sound that mixed alt-pop, electronic, and indie rock — and for a visual identity built around a bowl haircut and oversized clothing that made him immediately recognizable. His debut album “Ugly Is Beautiful” topped two Billboard charts. His songs “Life Goes On,” “Miss You,” “Alien Boy,” and “Cash Machine” collectively have billions of streams.

He was a performer who resisted being categorized. He was also a comedian, a professional scooter rider, and a filmmaker. He posted content constantly. He engaged with his audience directly. He was 32 years old and in the middle of the busiest touring stretch of his career.

Gaspar Prim Díaz — known online as Gaspi — was 23. He had more than 2.8 million YouTube followers. Argentine streaming channel Blender said in a statement: “Thanks for your art, your magic and your sensibility. Every one of us will miss you.”

The investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing. No preliminary findings have been released.