The body of American singer and comedian Oliver Tree has been returned to California after the singer-songwriter died in a helicopter crash in Brazil at the age of 32.
Tree, known for the track Miss You, was among six people killed when two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro and crashed to the ground on the morning of June 14.
One of the helicopters plunged into the parking lot of a car dealership, igniting a fire and sending plumes of smoke rising from the site.
A message posted to his Instagram account on Sunday said his body was “now back in California,” before going on to lay out plans for his legacy.
“His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon,” the post reads. “This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing, written in his will. We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish.”
The post follows comments Tree made on the Zach Sang podcast in April, in which he set out how he wanted his money to be spent. “I’ve set up a foundation. When I die, my art will continue to have residuals and probably be worth more than it is now,” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I have basically a committee that I’ve set up when I pass — and I plan to do it while I’m alive — where basically everyone will vote on who the money goes to each year.”
“I don’t believe that any of the wealth or the things that get made from it is mine. So, when I die, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one is getting a penny,” he said.
What happened?
The two helicopters collided at around 9 a.m. local time above the city’s western zone.
Footage published by local media shows one of the helicopters plunging onto the parking lot of an electric car dealership. It started a fire that was extinguished by the Military Fire Department of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
It is believed the fire was aggravated due to the vehicles’ lithium batteries.
Eyewitness video showed the smoldering wreckage of one helicopter and smoke plumes billowing from other burning wreckage nearby.
Local resident Leticia Alves told Reuters, “There was this huge boom! Then there was another really loud crash. That’s when we went outside to see what it was. When we looked, we saw debris flying everywhere.”
Fernandes de Freitas, a tire repair worker, said he saw one of the helicopters in flames and that one of the passengers jumped out of an aircraft as it fell to the ground. “It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” de Freitas said, the Associated Press reported.
Officials said an investigation was taking place to determine the cause of the collision.
Who is Oliver Tree?
Born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1993, Tree built up a following after going viral on social media in 2016. A festival favorite, he was known for his distinctive look — including wild fashion and a bowl-cut mullet — and for his self-directed alternative pop music videos for internationally known songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You.” He performed at Coachella in April.
He had over 15.4 million TikTok followers, more than 3.3 million Instagram followers and over 6.9 million YouTube followers.
Tree had just begun a world tour and performed in São Paulo on 6 June. His next show was scheduled for Lisbon, Portugal, on 1 July. He was also due to perform in countries including the United States, the U.K., Spain and China.
Oliver Tree performs at Coachella in April.
(Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images)
His debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, was released in 2020. A second album, Cowboy Tears, dropped in 2022 and was followed 19 months later by Alone in a Crowd. His fourth album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, was released earlier this year.
“I don’t believe that any of the wealth or the things that get made from it is mine. So, when I die, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one is getting a penny,” Tree said on the Zach Sang Show, adding: “All the money is going to go back to artists.”
‘I’m going to miss him’ tributes
Tributes to Tree have come in from family and friends.
His mother posted a tribute on June 18, reading: “Our dear son Oliver, you made this world a better place. We are so proud of you. RIP.”
Tree’s girlfriend, Fiona Chernavskaya, paid tribute to the artist on Wednesday in a heartfelt Instagram post, “To my best friend. We traveled to 43 countries, and all 7 continents together. The magic, inspiration and joy you brought to my life and others, will never be forgotten or replaced.”
“You’d always tell me when we argued, if things don’t work out in this lifetime, you will find me in the next. I love you buggy,” she said.
Katy Perry was among those to respond with a broken heart emoji.
Singer Post Malone dedicated a show to Tree on June 16 at Rogers Stadium, Toronto, describing him as a “beautiful, beautiful man.”
Malone said Tree was a “gentleman I knew and was so beautiful, and inspired the world with his art,” Malone told the crowd. “I just want you to know, dude, we love you so very much.”
In a tribute posted on X, MTV wrote, “Oliver’s boundless musical talents and unique sound have inspired his many listeners, and will continue to do so.”
British YouTuber KSI, who previously collaborated with Tree on the song “Voices” and who is a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, was among those who have paid tribute to Tree, calling him a “legend.”
In a post shared on Instagram, KSI wrote: “Can’t believe I’m actually having to type this. You’re 32 man. You should still be here. You still had so much life to live. So much music to make. So much content to make. “You’re a legend and will always be a legend. Still doesn’t feel real. Genuinely feel sick. I love you bro.”
Jackass star Steve-O, real name Stephen Glover, also paid tribute. Sharing a photograph of himself with Tree on Instagram, he wrote: “I was incredibly lucky to become friends with Oliver Tree. He would check in on me regularly, and let me know he cared about how I was doing. Such a great person, f***, I’m going to miss him…”
DJ Diplo, real name Thomas Wesley Pentz Jr., called the musician a “dream collaborator” who was “cooler than everyone.” The pair collaborated on the theme song for the 2024 animated film Ultraman: Rising.
Who were the other victims?
Another YouTube star — Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim Diaz, known as Gaspi — was also in one of the helicopters. Gaspi had over 2.8 million YouTube followers and was 23. “Thanks for your art, your magic and your sensibility, every one of us will miss you,” Argentine streaming channel Blender wrote on its X account.
The other passengers were another Argentine, Lucas Vignale, and Brazilians Lucas Brito, Charles Marsillac and pilot Alexandre Souza. The body of one foreigner was not yet identified.