A mid-air collision between two helicopters over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 14, 2026, claimed the lives of all six people aboard, including singer Oliver Tree Nickell, authorities confirmed. The aircraft collided over an electric vehicle dealership in Recreio dos Bandeirantes in the southwest zone of Rio, setting cars ablaze at the crash site, Local Civil Police told CNN Brazil.
Tree, 32, was traveling with four others in one helicopter, including passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (an Argentinian YouTuber known online as Gaspi), and Lucas Brito Chaves, along with pilot Alexandre Souza. The second aircraft was piloted by Charles Marsillac alone.
Victims could not be formally identified immediately as they were badly burned in the crash, a police source told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Civil Police have requested a forensic examination of the scene as part of a formal investigation to determine the cause of the collision.
The Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) will investigate the causes, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) confirmed to CNN Brazil. In a statement expressing regret over the tragedy, 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 on 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. Days 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 Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California, on June 29, 1993, Tree became known for his eccentric fashion sense, signature bowl haircut, 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.
Musical Career and Breakthrough
Tree’s musical career began in 2010, when he started performing and opening for electronic music artists including Skrillex and Zeds Dead. In 2013, he released an independent album titled “Splitting Branches” under his earlier alias “Tree.” 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.
He gained widespread notoriety with his first studio album “Ugly Is Beautiful” in 2020, which went gold in the United States, and achieved international recognition with “Life Goes On” in 2021, released on the album’s deluxe edition. Tree released two additional studio albums with Atlantic — “Cowboy Tears” in 2022 and “Alone in a Crowd” in 2023 — followed by 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. Tree and Robin Schulz received a nomination for the international song BRIT Award in 2024 for their collaboration “Miss You,” which peaked at No. 3 in the UK singles chart. 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.
Artistic Vision and Style
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. After years of making music that no one listened to, he found that 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.