Oliver Tree is gone far too soon. The California-born singer, songwriter, and internet icon died Sunday morning after two helicopters collided mid-air over the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in southwest Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was 32. Six people in total were killed in the crash, which occurred above an electric vehicle dealership. An investigation into the cause remains ongoing.
Born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, Tree built a cult following through his unmistakable aesthetic, that signature bowl cut, oversized wide-leg pants, and a genre-blurring sound that refused to sit still. He broke through with Whethan’s viral track “When I’m Down” in 2016, then carved his own lane with fan favorites like “Life Goes On,” “Miss You,” and “Alien Boy.” His music lived somewhere between alt-pop, indie rock, and electronic, and it connected deeply with a generation raised online.
At the time of his death, Tree was in the middle of his World’s First World Tour, having performed in São Paulo just days prior. As recently as Saturday, he was posting to social media from Brazil, seemingly thriving in the thick of a career that still had so much road ahead of it. The music world is reeling. He was one of a kind.
