US musician Oliver Tree dies in helicopter collision in Brazil

The alt-pop US musician and internet personality Oliver Tree was among six people who died when the helicopter he was travelling in collided with another in Brazil.

The 32-year-old had been on a world tour when the crash occurred over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. One of the helicopters then fell onto the car park of a dealership, setting around 20 vehicles ablaze.

Footage published by Brazilian media shows one of the helicopters dropping from the sky, as well as flames and thick smoke rising from the crash site.

Authorities say an investigation into the cause of the collision is now under way.

The Military Fire Department of the State of Rio de Janeiro said it was called to the crash site around 09:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim Diaz – also known as Gaspi – was also believed to have been in one of the helicopters, according to the Associated Press.

The other passengers on the helicopter’s manifest were Lucas Brito Chaves, Lucas Vignale and pilot Alexandre Souza. The crew manifest for the second aircraft lists only the pilot, Charles Marsillac.

Tree – born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California in 1993 – first rose to fame in 2016 after going viral on social media.

With his distinctive bowl haircut, he was known for hits including Life Goes On, Miss You and Alien Boy.

Tree had just begun a world tour, with his most recent show in São Paulo, Brazil on 6 June. He was next scheduled to perform in Lisbon, in Portugal, on 1 July and had been due to play dates in Glasgow, Manchester and London in September.

YouTuber KSI, who collaborated with him on the track Voices, paid an emotional tribute.

In a post shared on X, Britain’s Got Talent judge KSI said: “Can’t believe I’m actually having to type this. You’re 32 man. You should still be here. You still had so much life to live. So much music to make. So much content to make.

“You’re a legend and will always be a legend. Still doesn’t feel real. Genuinely feel sick. I love you bro.”

Jackass star Steve-O, real name Stephen Glover, also paid tribute to the late singer online, sharing a photograph of the two of them together.

“I was incredibly lucky to become friends with Oliver Tree,” he wrote.

“He would check in on me regularly, and let me know he cared about how I was doing. Such a great person… I’m going to miss him.”

Tree was nominated for a Brit Award in 2024 for his song Miss You, alongside German producer Robin Schulz.

In 2020, he broke the Guinness world record for building the largest kick scooter at 0.16m tall and 3.13m long.