Alternative-pop singer Oliver Tree, 32, was listed among the passengers aboard one of two helicopters that collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, killing all six people on board the aircraft, CNN Brazil and the Associated Press reported, citing local police.
Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department confirmed to USA TODAY that the June 14 incident resulted in six fatalities. The department said it dispatched crews around 9 a.m. to respond to the crash of two aircraft on Avenida das Américas. As of the latest update, Oliver Tree's representatives had not publicly commented, and forensic identification of the victims remained pending.
The California-born musician, born Oliver Tree Nickell, from Santa Cruz, had performed in São Paulo just eight days earlier, on June 6, as part of his Love You Madly, Hate You Badly World's First World Tour. His next scheduled show was July 1 in Lisbon.
Preliminary reports from Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department described a devastating chain of events. The two helicopters collided in mid-air and crashed into the parking lot of an electric car dealership, igniting a fire that consumed at least 20 vehicles on the ground.
Fifty military firefighters and 15 emergency vehicles responded to the scene. The fire department said the fire's progress was halted.
Rio de Janeiro's State Civil Police Press Office confirmed that an investigation is underway in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood to determine the causes of the crash. The bodies of the six victims, the press office said, "will undergo forensic examination for identification."
A report from Brazil's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center is also pending, following a forensic examination conducted at the crash site. No cause for the collision has been publicly identified.
Several facts have not been established. The names of the other five people killed have not been released. The helicopter operators, owners, aircraft models, and the purpose of the flights are all unknown based on available official statements. Which specific helicopter Oliver Tree was reportedly aboard has not been disclosed.
The electric car dealership where the wreckage landed has not been named. And the timeline for the Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center's report remains unclear.
Most significantly, while local police listed Oliver Tree as a passenger, formal forensic confirmation of his identity among the dead has not yet been completed. That distinction matters. "Presumed dead" is the accurate description at this stage, not confirmed.
Oliver Tree rose to fame with 2021's "Life Goes On," which marked his debut on the Billboard Top 100 chart. His 2023 album "Alone in a Crowd" included "Miss You," which peaked at No. 84 on the Top 100. His latest album, "Love You Madly Hate You Badly," dropped April 24 of this year.
Two months before the crash, Tree made a surprise appearance during Weekend 1 of Coachella, joining Subtronics for a performance on the Sahara Stage.
His Spotify bio described him as "an internet-based vocalist, producer, writer, director and performance artist" working at "the intersection where pop and alternative meet sonically."
In a May appearance on the Good For You podcast with Whitney Cummings, Tree discussed his unconventional approach to recording. He said he had made the album across 82 different countries over two years, an approach he framed as both creative and financially practical.
"Instead of recording the music in a studio in LA where it's $2,200 a day, plus if you go overtime [there are] more fees... for that amount, I could fly all the way to anywhere in the world and stay in a hotel for about five days, make five songs and fly back."
On the same podcast, Tree reflected on what success meant to him:
"I redefined my version of success. And it was not more followers, more likes, more money, more commas in the bank account. I learned my version of success, and this isn't for everyone, but for me, it's freedom."
The facts as they stand are grim but incomplete. Six people are dead. A young American musician was reportedly among them. Brazilian authorities are still working to confirm identities and determine what caused two helicopters to collide over one of the world's most famous cities on a Sunday morning.
USA TODAY reported that it reached out to Tree's representatives for comment but had not received a response as of its last update on June 15.
For now, the investigation belongs to Brazilian civil police and aviation authorities. The answers, about what went wrong, who was responsible, and whether basic safety protocols were followed, will come on their timeline, not ours.
What we do know is that a 32-year-old man who talked about freedom as his measure of success was on a passenger list nobody wants to be on. The rest is waiting.
