US singer, comedian Oliver Tree among 6 killed after helicopters collide over Brazil: Reports

RIO DE JANEIRO (NEXSTAR) — American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was reportedly among the six people killed after two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning.

The helicopters crashed in the city’s western zone after the collision, firefighters said.

Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said that one of the helicopters crashed into a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire that was extinguished.

Police said that American singer and comedian Oliver Tree was on the list of passengers handed to aviation authorities, but have not been able to identify the bodies of those killed in the crash.

CNN Brazil and local outlet Metróples reported that Tree, 32, was among those killed, citing confirmation from the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro.

Two pilots and three other passengers were killed, authorities said. CNN Brazil and Metróples identified the victims as pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac, music producer Lucas Brito Chaves Frota, director Lucas Vignale, and YouTuber Gaspar Prim (also known as Gaspi).

Tree, who was born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, California, rose to fame in the 2010s thanks to Vine, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He released four studio albums, including “Love you Madly, Hate you Badly” in April. Tree had also worked with Skrillex and Zeds Dead, Page Six notes.

Tree was tagged in an Instagram post with a translated caption of “American for the 1st time in Brazil,” in which he can be seen wearing a Brazil soccer jersey. Iae Break, the content creator who posted the video, shared a post to his Instagram story on Sunday with five crying emojis.

Tree had several upcoming shows planned, including performances in Nashville, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, and Austin.

Officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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