Oliver Tree has died in a helicopter crash in Brazil.
The singer, best known for viral hits such as “Alien Boy” and “Life Goes On”, has passed away at the age of 32 following the incident in Rio de Janeiro.
Tree — otherwise known as Oliver Tree Nickell — was one of six people killed when two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro.
Local police told the Associated Press that Tree was on one of the helicopter’s passenger list; CNN Brazil confirmed that Tree was on board at the time of the crash.
Tree was due to tour Australia and New Zealand as part of his 2026 world tour later this year. The US musician had dates planned in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and more cities in October.
The South American leg of his world tour concluded in Sao Paolo on June 6th.
Tree gained a cult following with his self-release schedule on the internet in the previous decade, notably dropping a Thom Yorke-approved cover of the Radiohead classic “Karma Police”.
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After a brief study break at CalArts, he returned to music in 2016, releasing his first official single “Welcome to LA”.
His quirky style and viral music videos increased his fanbase in the following years, with Tree becoming a favourite on TikTok as well as the live music circuit.
His debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, arrived in 2020, followed by second album Cowboy Years two years later.
That was followed in 2023 by Alone in a Crowd, before he released his fourth album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, earlier this year. The latter record arrived via Tree’s own Alien Boy Records.
Known for his electrifying performances and boundary-pushing visuals, Tree’s live show was set to bring Love You Madly, Hate You Badly to life on his Australian and New Zealand tour, including all its chaos and emotion.
