American singer Oliver Tree has died at age 32 in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, months before scheduled performances in the UK, including Manchester. The artist, born Oliver Tree Nickel, was among those killed when two helicopters collided over an electric vehicle yard in the city's Southwest district.
Victims and Investigation
Other victims included Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim, Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac. Local Civil Police have launched an investigation and requested a forensic examination of the crash site. Fire department, Traffic Engineering Company, Comlurb, and teams from the 31st BPM are assisting.
Tributes from Friends and Fans
Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens, a friend, shared a photo of the pair in Tokyo, writing: "I can not believe it... Rest in peace brother, you were one of a kind and you'll be truly missed. See you again in another life." The Brazilian Air Force confirmed investigators from the Third Regional Service for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents were called to perform initial actions on the incident involving aircraft PP-MAC and PR-DJJ.
Career Highlights
Tree, known for hits like Miss You and Life Goes On, was in South America for The World's First Tour. He had performed in São Paulo days before and was due to resume in Lisbon on July 1. He first gained fame at 17 working with Skrillex and Zeds Dead under the pseudonym Tree. After releasing his debut independent record Spilling Branches and joining band Irony, he signed with RandS Records for the EP Demons in 2013, earning praise from Radiohead's Thom Yorke for his cover of Karma Police.
Tree later studied music technology at California Institute of the Arts before returning in 2016 with the track Forget It featuring Getter. His debut album Ugly Is Beautiful (2020) charted at Number 32 in the UK and Number 13 on the US Billboard 200, topping Alt and Rock charts. After leaving Atlantic Records, his final album Love You Madly Hate You Badly was released on April 24 via his own label, Alien Boy Records.
Upcoming Tour and Fan Reactions
Fans expected to see Tree in Lisbon, then Europe including Spain, Italy, Australia, Slovakia, and Hungary, before UK dates in Glasgow, Manchester, and London in September. Tributes flooded social media: one fan wrote, "My God, what sadness. Rest in peace, Oliver Tree, and all who were also in the helicopter." Another said, "I'm so f***ing shocked about Oliver Tree he was so young and so so talented." A third commented, "Rest in Peace Oliver Tree. You were definitely important to me during my High School years."
