Oliver Tree was killed on Sunday morning when two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was 32. The collision occurred above the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighbourhood in the city’s western zone, sending both aircraft into the car park of an electric vehicle dealership, where a fire broke out. All six people aboard the two helicopters died. There were no survivors.
Tree was travelling through South America on his World’s First World Tour. He had performed in São Paulo on June 6, and was scheduled to play Lisbon on July 1, with further dates across the United States, Europe, Australia, and China still ahead of him. The other victims were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim, Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
Born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California, in 1993, Tree built his career on an unlikely combination: absurdist internet persona, genuinely affecting alt-pop songwriting, and a visual identity so committed it crossed from gimmick into something stranger and more durable. His debut Atlantic album, Ugly Is Beautiful, topped Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart in 2020. “Life Goes On” went platinum. “Miss You,” his collaboration with Robin Schulz, reached No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022. His fourth and final studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, came out in April.
He had over 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of his death. His UK dates were scheduled for September.
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