He flew to Brazil for a show, played soccer on Saturday, and posted videos online that same night. By Sunday morning, two helicopters had collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro. Oliver Tree was on board. He was 32.
Image Source: Instagram
American singer Oliver Tree Nickell died on Sunday, June 14, 2026, after two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was 32 years old.
On Sunday morning, two helicopters collided mid-air over Recreio dos Bandeirantes in Rio de Janeiro, killing all six people on board, according to the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police.
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One helicopter was bound for Angra dos Reis while the other was in the process of refueling at the time of the collision.
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The two helicopters crashed into the car park of an electric vehicle dealership. The impact triggered a large fire that engulfed around 20 cars, according to firefighters at the scene.
The wreckage ignited a fire among parked electric vehicles, requiring three to four times more water than standard car fires to extinguish.
Footage of mid-air collision spread quickly on social media. Videos show two helicopters visibly closing in on each other before contact followed by rapid drop and large plume of smoke rising from crash site.
The first aircraft carried pilot Alexandre Souza and passengers Lucas Brito Chaves, Oliver Tree, Lucas Vignale, and Gaspar Prim. Pilot Charles Marsillac was the sole occupant of the second helicopter, and his aircraft lied 100 meters away from the primary crash site.
The aircraft involved were PP-MAC, a Bell 206B JetRanger III operated by Turfik Comércio de Frutas Ltda, and PR-DJJ, a privately owned Aerospatiale AS 350B2 Ecureuil.
Among those on the passenger list were a Brazilian music producer, an Argentine video director, and Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim.
Authorities confirmed that Oliver Tree was on the list of passengers handed to aviation authorities, but said they had not been able to identify the bodies of those killed due to the severity of the fire.
There were no survivors from either helicopter.
Brazil’s Air Force and the Centre for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents launched an official investigation into the crash. Investigators are prioritizing recovering flight recordings and video evidence to determine what caused the collision.
Officials have not ruled out mechanical failure, pilot error, or environmental factors. They stressed it is too early in the investigation to draw conclusions.
Oliver Tree Nickell was born on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California.
He spent his early career producing dubstep and performing in the San Francisco Bay Area under the artist name “Tree.” He debuted his first EP, “Demons,” in 2013 under R&S Records.
In 2016, Whethan released “When I’m Down,” a feature that put Tree on the map. A month later, he signed with Atlantic Records, releasing the single “Welcome to LA” as his first under the name Oliver Tree. The 2018 EP “Alien Boy” raised his profile in both the electronic music space and online culture.
He achieved international recognition with “Life Goes On” in 2021 and “Miss You” in 2022. He released his second studio album Cowboy Tears in February 2022, his third, Alone in a Crowd, in September 2023, his fourth, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, on April 24, 2026.
Tree built a significant following on social media, particularly on TikTok, where he had amassed 15.4 million followers. His biggest single on the platform, “Life Goes On,” has been in use in over 3.7 million videos, while “Miss You” played 1.5 million times.
In May, Tree had announced plans to embark on what billed as his World’s First World Tour. The South American leg began May 30 in Mexico.
He had performed in São Paulo on June 6, 2026, as part of this ongoing world tour.
Tree performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 4, and published a video on his Instagram on Saturday where he was playing soccer in a Brazilian neighbourhood.
A popular Brazilian influencer named Iae Break had also been sharing videos from Tree’s trip in the days leading up to the crash. One clip showed Tree jokingly calling himself Neymar after the famed Brazilian soccer star, and holding a replica FIFA World Cup trophy.
Singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez, who previously dated Tree, posted a tribute on her Instagram Story hours after news of his death broke. She wrote that she had been “an absolute wreck” and that Tree was “so dedicated to his art.” She described his laugh as “contagious and warm” and called him “a true artist in every way.”
Fans across social media began sharing his music and older videos as news of the crash spread worldwide.
Oliver Tree is survived by his music, his fans, and a career that was still very much in progress at the time of his death.
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