American musician Oliver Tree reportedly dies in helicopter crash in Brazil
American singer-songwriter Oliver Tree has died at the age of 32 following a helicopter crash in Brazil, according to reports.
Tree, whose full name is Oliver Tree Nickell, was known for hits including Miss You, and his trademark bowl hair cut.
The news was first reported by CNN Brazil, with other outlets reporting that two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning.
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Firefighters released a statement to say that initial reports pointed to a mid-air collision adding that ‘six fatalities have been confirmed, all were crew members of the aircraft involved in the accident’.
In an update, CNN Brasil is now reporting that the six victims have been confirmed as passengers Tree, Lucas Vignale, Lucas Brito Chaves, and Gaspar Prim - an Argentinian YouTuber known as Gaspi, who has almost 7.5 million followers.
Pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac also tragically died in the incident.
Fire services spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil that it was currently unclear what caused the incident.
“Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary,” he said.
“We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened.”
Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed on a car dealership where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire that was extinguished.
Tree was on the list of passengers handed to aviation authorities, the police have said, but they have not been able to identify the bodies of those killed in the crash.
KSI has since paid an emotional tribute to Tree on X.
The British YouTuber collaborated with Tree on his track Voices.
“Can’t believe I’m actually having to type this. You’re 32 man. You should still be here,” he wrote.
“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.”
Tree was only weeks into his World’s First World Tour where he had planned to play shows on all seven continents.
He performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 4, and on Saturday shared a video on his Instagram playing football in a Brazilian neighbourhood.
Tree was due to play more than 70 shows across 30 countries including the UK with dates scheduled in Glasgow, Manchester and London in September.
LADbible has reached out to Tree's reps for comment.
Topics: Music
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