Oliver Tree Nickell, the eccentric singer known professionally as Oliver Tree, was killed on June 14, 2026, when two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing all six people aboard the aircraft. The 32-year-old musician was among those who died in the crash over Recreio dos Bandeirantes in the southwest zone of Rio, where the aircraft fell onto an electric vehicle dealership and set cars ablaze.
Tree was traveling aboard one of the helicopters with four other people: passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (an Argentinian YouTuber known online as Gaspi), and Lucas Brito Chaves, as well as pilot Alexandre Souza. The second aircraft was piloted by Charles Marsillac, who was alone aboard. Local Civil Police confirmed the tragedy to CNN Brazil.
According to a police source who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the victims were badly burned in the crash and could not be formally identified immediately. Civil Police requested a forensic examination of the scene, and a formal investigation is underway to determine what caused the collision.
The Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) would investigate the causes, according to a statement from the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), which expressed regret over the tragedy to CNN Brazil. The agency urged all passengers on general aviation flights to verify the status of companies and aircraft before boarding.
The crash occurred while Tree was touring South America as part of The World’s First World Tour, a global concert series featuring more than 70 shows across 30 countries on seven continents. He had performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 4, 2026, and in São Paulo, Brazil, on June 6, 2026. On the day before the crash, he shared a video on Instagram playing football in a Brazilian neighborhood. His next scheduled performance was set for July 1, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal.
Born in Santa Cruz, California, on June 29, 1993, Tree became known for his signature bowl haircut, eccentric fashion sense, and larger-than-life internet persona. He rose to prominence in 2016 on Vine with his alter ego “Turbo,” wearing exaggerated 1980s-style outfits and performing with theatrical flair.
Tree started performing in 2010, opening for electronic music artists including Skrillex and Zeds Dead. Under his earlier alias “Tree,” he released an independent album titled “Splitting Branches” in 2013. His breakthrough came in 2016 when he was featured on electronic producer Whethan’s hit “When I’m Down,” which led to him signing with Atlantic Records in 2017.
His first studio album “Ugly Is Beautiful” dropped in 2020 and went gold in the United States. He achieved international recognition with “Life Goes On” in 2021, released on the album’s deluxe edition. Two additional studio albums with Atlantic followed — “Cowboy Tears” in 2022 and “Alone in a Crowd” in 2023 — before his most recent, “Love You Madly, Hate You Badly,” which dropped in April 2026 on his own Alien Boy Records imprint.
Tree was best known for hit songs including “Life Goes On,” “Miss You” with German producer Robin Schulz, “Alien Boy,” “Cash Machine,” “Hurt,” and “Jerk.” His music video for “Life Goes On” has amassed more than 464 million views on YouTube, while “Miss You” has garnered more than 382 million views. At the time of his death, Tree’s music on Spotify had been streamed more than 700 million times across his most popular tracks, with over 11 million people listening to his songs monthly.
In 2024, Tree and Robin Schulz received a nomination for the international song BRIT Award for their collaboration “Miss You,” which peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart.
In addition to writing and producing his music, Tree directed his own music videos, which were known for their highly theatrical and eccentric style. He utilized several different characters and performance eras throughout his career, employing internet trolling and meme marketing to promote his work.
Tree told Billboard in 2023 that stepping out of his artistic comfort zone transformed his career. He said that after years of making music that no one listened to, showing up looking unconventional actually worked and became bigger than his music. He described his experimentation as a mirror held up to society and noted that attempting to create something original rather than derivative is how invention occurs.
Outside of music, Tree set the Guinness World Record in 2020 for the world’s largest kick scooter, measuring 4.16 meters tall and 3.13 meters long. The record website states that he accomplished this to realize a dream he had held since childhood.
