Mid-Air Collision Over Rio
Six people, including 32-year-old American singer-songwriter Oliver Tree, died Sunday morning when two helicopters collided mid-air and crashed in Rio de Janeiro's western zone. The collision occurred shortly before 9 a.m. local time in the seaside neighborhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department confirmed.
One helicopter carried five people: Oliver Tree, Argentine video producer Lucas Vignale, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim (known as Gaspi), Brazilian music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilot Alexandre Souza. The second aircraft was flown solely by pilot Charles Marsillac. There were no survivors.
From Santa Cruz to Global Fame
Born Oliver Tree Nickell on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California, Tree built a massive following with his genre-blending alternative pop, eccentric fashion, and distinctive bowl-mullet haircut. He broke through in 2016 with the viral Whethan collaboration "When I'm Down" and later signed to Atlantic Records, releasing his debut studio album Ugly Is Beautiful in 2020. The album went gold in the United States, and its single "Life Goes On" achieved platinum status.
Tree amassed over 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with his top songs streamed more than 700 million times. His fourth and final studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, was released in April 2026. He was in Brazil as part of 'The World's First World Tour,' having performed in São Paulo on June 6. His next scheduled show was July 1 in Lisbon, Portugal, with subsequent dates planned across the United States, Europe, Australia, and China.
Investigation Underway
At least one of the helicopters crashed into a BYD electric vehicle dealership along Avenida das Américas, igniting a fire that destroyed approximately 20 cars. No injuries were reported on the ground, though debris was scattered over hundreds of meters, shattering windows of nearby buildings.
Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary. We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened.Fabio Contreiras, Lieutenant Colonel, Rio Fire Services
Brazil's Air Force accident investigation unit (CENIPA) and the national aviation regulator ANAC are jointly investigating the cause of the mid-air collision. Authorities have not yet established why the two helicopters collided in an area where helicopter traffic is common for tourism, business, and media flights.
Fans and Fellow Artists Mourn
Tributes began pouring in online within hours of the news. Fans shared clips of Tree's performances and viral music videos, while fellow artists expressed shock and grief. Tree's final social media activity showed him in a recording studio with other musicians on Saturday.
Tree was known not only for his music but also for his absurdist internet persona and self-directed music videos. In 2020, he earned a Guinness World Record for constructing the world's largest kick scooter. His sudden death cuts short a career that had steadily crossed from viral sensation to mainstream alternative stardom.
The investigation into the collision is expected to take months. For now, fans worldwide are left with the music — and the unanswered question of how a routine flight over one of Brazil's most iconic cities turned into an unthinkable tragedy.
