R.I.P. Oliver Tree. The singer and rapper born Oliver Tree Nickell died along with five others when two helicopters crashed above Recreio dos Bandeirantes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday morning. Civil Police confirmed the deaths to CNN Brasil.
Five people were aboard one aircraft, while the other carried only its pilot. The other passengers along with Tree were independent director and screenwriter Lucas Vignale; Gaspar Prim, better known as the Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi; and DJ and producer Lucas Brito Chaves. The pilots were Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac. Preliminary information from the fire department indicated that the helicopters collided mid-air before crashing into a parking lot, where dozens of parked cars caught fire.
Oliver Tree Nickell was born on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California. The genre-diverse artist began releasing music under the name Tree in 2010. His debut EP Demons was released in 2013 and three years later, his single "When I'm Down" with Whethan went viral. Soon after, he signed to Atlantic Records.
In 2017, he made his official debut as Oliver Tree with the single "Welcome To LA" and became known for sporting a striking bowl cut, purple windbreaker, red glasses, and JNCO jeans. His music came with meme-friendly, creatively unpredictable visuals. Oliver Tree's major-label debut, the EP Alien Boy, came out in 2018. His debut album Ugly Is Beautiful followed in 2020. "Life Goes On," from the Shorter, Thicker & Uglier deluxe edition, became one of his most popular tracks. He followed it with 2022's Cowboy Tears and 2023's Alone In A Crowd.
Tree's fourth album Love You Madly, Hate You Badly was released in April. At Coachella earlier this year, he joined Subtronics to debut the dubstep artist's remix of the track "Fuck The Whole World." His final performance took place last weekend in São Paulo as part of a global headline tour.
“the world lost a truly incredible, visionary artist today,” Subtronics shared on social media. “rest in peace oliver, you where an infinite source of inspiration and your work will live on forever.”
Oliver Tree was 32.
