American singer Oliver Tree was among at least six people killed in a mid-air helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday afternoon, according to reports.
The two helicopters came down in the parking lot of an electric vehicle dealership, where the crash sparked a fire that spread to at least 20 cars.
Firefighters said early indications suggest the aircraft collided in the air. Officials confirmed six deaths, saying all of those killed were crew members aboard the helicopters involved in the accident.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said shortly after the crash that “foreign nationals” were on board one of the aircraft, though he did not provide additional details at the time.
CNN later reported that Tree, 32, was among those killed. The American artist is best known for his song Life Goes On.
Authorities identified the other victims as Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim — also known as Argentine YouTuber Gaspi — Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
New dramatic photos and videos have emerged showing the aftermath of the crash, with the mangled helicopers lying over smashed cars and burnt out vehicles in the electric car dealership’s parking lot.
Fire services spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil at the scene that it was unclear exactly how the accident unfolded.
American singer Oliver Tree has been identified as one of the victims in a mid-air helicopter crash that killed at least six people in Brazil
Dramatic videos and photos show the aftermath of the crash
Burnt out vehicles in the parking lot of the electric car dealership are pictured
‘Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary.
‘We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened,’ he said.
Contreiras said rescue workers had discovered one helicopter in flames among the electric cars, with five victims inside.
A second helicopter found around 330ft away was carrying only the pilot, who also died.
The accident took place in the suburb of Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Images in local media showed a thick plume of black smoke rising from the car dealership, where several vehicles were on fire.
Contreiras said the fact that the aircraft had crashed in the parking area had prevented a higher death toll.
‘Given the surrounding residences, the accident could have been far more tragic,’ he said.
Tree was best known for his viral songs that were popular on social media and his eccentric outfits and hairstyles
Oliver Tree was a California native born in Santa Cruz. His music was highly popular on social media, and he was known for his eccentric outfits and hairstyles.
He signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song When I’m Down went viral, and he released his first studio album, Ugly is Beautiful, in July of 2020.
Tree published three more studio albums since then, with his fourth, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, recently being released on April 24, 2026.
Tree’s music videos have collectively garnered more than a billion views just on YouTube. His two most popular songs on the platform, Life Goes On and Miss You, earned 464 million views and 382 million views, respectively.
Less than 24 hours ago, Tree posted a video to his Instagram from Rio de Janeiro that he made with Brazilian content creator Iae Break.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
