Oliver Tree, the singer-songwriter known for songs including ‘Life Goes On’ and ‘Miss You’, has died in a helicopter crash aged 32.
The news was confirmed by the Rio De Janeiro Civil Police today (June 14), who identified Tree as being among six people killed when two helicopters collided in mid-air over the Recreio dos Bandeirantes area. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
As reported by CNN Brasil, Tree was one of four passengers on one aircraft who were killed, with the others being named as Mucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves. The pilots of each helicopter, Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac, also lost their lives.
Tree rose to fame in 2017 with his viral hit ‘When I’m Down’, and built a fanbase thanks to his blend of alternative pop and absurdist humour, with his distinctive bowl haircut and oversized clothing giving him a unique public image.
He was born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California on June 29, 1993, and after several years of working on independent projects, he signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 and released his debut album ‘Ugly Is Beautiful’ in 2020. It included the platinum-certified single ‘Hurt’ and established Tree as a crossover star.
NME reviewed the album, writing: “Injecting humour into everything he does while offering a surrealist escape from the mundane everyday – it’s easy to see how Tree’s outlandishness has made him the digital age’s definitive rockstar.”
The 2022 album ‘Cowboy Tears’ saw him explore country music influences, while ‘Alone In A Crowd’ the following year included the sped-up hit ‘Miss You’, a collaboration with Robin Schulz.
NME named him as one of the standout acts at the Governors Ball 2023, noting: “If you want to laugh and dance at the same time, look no further than Oliver Tree. Known for his stage antics and viral, sped-up TikTok hits like ‘Miss You’, the California performer is already ready to light up the stage with his bowl cut. The meme machine is a pro at merging irony, humour and delight into his sets, so if you’re in the mood for something unforgettable, you’ll want to be there when he brings his one-of-a-kind energy to Gov Ball.”
Tree had been on tour in Brazil this week, having played at the Studio Stage in Sao Paulo on June 6 as part of his ‘Love You Madly, Hate You Badly World’s First World Tour’, named after his fourth album, which was released in April this year.
