Oliver Tree Dead at 32: Singer Killed in Rio de Janeiro Helicopter Collision Alongside YouTuber Gaspi
American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was named among six people killed when two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro — just days after he posted joyful videos from his first-ever trip to Brazil.
The internet is in mourning. Oliver Tree — the 32-year-old American singer, comedian and viral performer whose full name is Oliver Tree Nickell — has been named among the victims of a horrific mid-air helicopter collision over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio's Civil Police listed him among six people killed on Sunday morning, June 14, when two helicopters crashed near the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood. There were no survivors.
⚠️ What's confirmed: Oliver Tree's name appears on the official victim list released by Rio's Civil Police, and major outlets including CBS, CNN, Rolling Stone and Euronews have reported his death. Police noted that formal forensic identification of the bodies was still ongoing in the hours after the crash. We are treating his death as confirmed by authorities while flagging that the official ID process was finalizing.
What Happened: The Mid-Air Collision
According to Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department, the collision happened at around 9:00 a.m. local time over the city's western zone, in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood. Two helicopters struck each other in mid-air. One of them came down on a plot of land rented by the Chinese electric-vehicle giant BYD, setting roughly 20 parked cars on fire — flames that emergency crews quickly brought under control.
The second aircraft crashed about 100 metres away and did not catch fire. Five bodies were recovered from one helicopter and a sixth was found near the other. A tire-repair worker who witnessed the crash described the scene as terrifying, saying one of the passengers appeared to jump from an aircraft before it hit the ground.
The Six Victims
Rio's Civil Police identified all six victims. Five were aboard one helicopter; the second carried only its pilot.
Among the dead, 23-year-old Gaspi was a major Spanish-language creator with more than 2.8 million YouTube subscribers, known across Latin America and Spain for his street interviews and prank-style comedy. Argentine streaming channel Blender confirmed his death, thanking him for his art and his sensibility.
His Final Days in Brazil
Tragically, Oliver Tree had been documenting one of the happiest stretches of his world tour. In the days before the crash, he posted videos from Brazil — playing football, cooking, and singing with local creators — captioning one clip with a note about an American visiting Brazil for the very first time. He had performed in São Paulo on June 6 as part of his ongoing global run, and other reports place him in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 4, underscoring just how packed his tour schedule was.
Who Was Oliver Tree? From Viral Eccentric to Global Tour
Oliver Tree built one of the internet's most recognizable personas — a deliberately absurd, comedy-driven character wrapped around genuinely catchy alt-pop. He broke through with songs like "Alien Boy," "Miss You" and "Life Goes On," blending oversized visual gags with melodic hooks that racked up hundreds of millions of streams.
The Tributes Pouring In
Fellow artists and creators reacted with disbelief. British star KSI wrote that he couldn't believe he was typing a tribute, insisting Tree was far too young and still had so much music and content left to make. Musician bbno$ called him an inspiration and said his heart was shattered. Comedian Whitney Cummings shared a photo of the two of them embracing and mourned the loss.
"There's no silver lining. We lost a giant."
— Whitney Cummings, on Oliver TreeWhat Happens Next: The Investigation
Brazilian aviation authorities — including the air-accident investigation centre CENIPA and civil aviation regulator ANAC — have opened an investigation into the cause of the collision. Investigators are examining the wreckage, the flight paths and the operational status of both aircraft and their pilots. No official cause has yet been determined.
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The Bottom Line
Oliver Tree died doing what he loved — touring the world and connecting with fans, far from home. He was 32. As Brazilian investigators work to understand how two helicopters collided in clear morning skies, fans, friends and fellow artists are left grieving a singular, joyful talent. We'll update this post as the investigation develops.
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