Oliver Tree Tragedy
American Singer Oliver Tree Among Six Killed in Fiery Rio Helicopter Collision
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American singer-songwriter Oliver Tree has died at 32 after two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, June 14, 2026. All six people aboard both aircraft were killed, including Tree and Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim, who had more than 7.5 million followers, according to The FADER.
Tree, whose full name was Oliver Tree Nickell, was in Brazil as part of his "Love You Madly Hate You Badly" world tour — a 70-plus show run across all seven continents. The crash happened over an electric vehicle dealership in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood. One helicopter fell onto the lot, igniting a fire that destroyed around 20 cars, GB News reported.
Two Helicopters Collide Over Rio EV Dealership
At around 9:00 AM local time, two private helicopters struck each other in the air above the Recreio dos Bandeirantes district in Rio's southwest zone. One helicopter carried five passengers, including Tree. The other carried only its pilot, Charles Marsillac, according to AS. Neither aircraft survived the impact.
The wreckage fell onto an electric vehicle lot on Avenida das Américas. Lithium-ion batteries in the cars caught fire, making it hard for firefighters to reach the crash site, Awesome 98 reported. Emergency calls came in at around 9:55 AM. By 2:41 PM, the Associated Press confirmed Tree was listed on the official passenger manifest filed with aviation authorities, according to Vice.
Six People Killed — Here Is Who Was on Board
The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro confirmed all six fatalities. The dead are: Oliver Tree Nickell; Gaspar Prim ("Gaspi"), an Argentine YouTuber with 7.5 million subscribers; Lucas Vignale, a creative collaborator; Lucas Brito Chaves; pilot Alexandre Souza; and pilot Charles Marsillac, Clash Music reported.
Brazil's CENIPA — the Air Force unit that looks into aviation accidents — and ANAC, the country's civil aviation agency, are both investigating. Early analysis points to the "congested airspace" of Rio's western zone, one of the busiest helicopter corridors in the world, as a likely factor in the crash, according to Suggest.
Oliver Tree's Career: From Scooter Stunts to Gold Records
Tree was born in 1993 and started his music career in 2010 at age 17. His 2020 debut album, "Ugly Is Beautiful," went gold in the US. His single "Life Goes On" went platinum. He also collaborated with Skrillex and Zeds Dead under the name "Tree." At the time of his death, he had over 11 million monthly Spotify listeners and 20 million social media followers, according to Y105 Music.
Tree's career was built on blurring the line between reality and art. He "retired" multiple times, wore full-body casts after staged scooter crashes, and ran scripted feuds with other artists. His final album, also called "Love You Madly Hate You Badly," came out in April 2026 and was seen as his most daring work yet, GB News reported.
Tour Cancellations, Fan Disbelief, and What Comes Next
Tree had performed in São Paulo on June 6 and was using Rio as a base before the European leg of his tour was set to begin in Lisbon on July 1. The cancellation of 70-plus shows across more than 30 countries will likely result in tens of millions of dollars in insurance claims and lost revenue for venues worldwide, according to The FADER.
Some fans online refused to believe the news at first, pointing to Tree's long history of elaborate stunts. Social media platforms including Reddit and Instagram filled with both tributes and hoax theories. But as hours passed with no "rebirth" video, most have shifted toward accepting the loss, Suggest noted.
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