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 Southwest Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this morning. Civil police confirmed the deaths to CNN Brazil.
Five people were in one aircraft, while a sole pilot was in the other. The passengers along with Tree were independent director and screenwriter Lucas Vignale; Gaspar Prim, aka Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi; and DJ and producer Lucas Brito Chaves. The pilots were Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac. Preliminary information from the fire department revealed that the aircraft collided mid-air before crashing into a parking lot, where dozens of cars were parked and 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 August 2013. Three years later, his single “When I’m Down” with Whethan went viral and he signed to Atlantic Records soon after.
In May 2017, he made his official debut as Oliver Tree with the single “Welcome To LA.” He became known for his striking bowl cut, purple windbreaker, red glasses, and JNCOs. He was reputed for his creatively unpredictable visuals and meme-friendly aesthetics. Oliver Tree’s major label debut, the EP Alien Boy, came out in February 2018. His debut album Ugly Is Beautiful came out July 2020 and the Getter collaboration “Life Goes On,” from that LP’s deluxe edition Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier, became one of his most popular tracks. He followed it up 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 and at this year’s Coachella, he joined Subtronics to debut the dubstep artist’s remix of the LP track “Fuck The Whole World.” His most recent concert was last weekend in São Paulo as part of a global headline tour.
Oliver Tree was 32.