Popular American singer among six killed in helicopter collision (VIDEO)

American singer Oliver Tree was among the six people killed when two helicopters collided over southwest Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, Globo1 and CNN Brasil have reported, citing local police.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a collision involving two aircraft at around 9 am. Acting Rio de Janeiro State Governor Claudio Castro confirmed that all six people aboard were killed.

Tree and Argentine YouTuber Gaspi were among the victims. They shared one of the helicopters with a music producer and a music video director, along with the pilot, Globo1 reported, citing the police.

The second helicopter reportedly carried only its pilot.

Security footage circulating on social media appears to catch a brief moment when one of the helicopters plummets out of the sky, spinning out of control.

On videos purporting to show the incident’s aftermath, an enormous black plume of smoke can be seen rising from burning cars at the crash site.

Tree, a 32-year-old California-born singer-songwriter, was in Rio de Janeiro as part of his world tour after performing in Sao Paolo the previous week

Oliver Tree performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, April 12, 2026. © Getty Images / Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times

The artist, known for his quirky, eccentric look and genre-blending alternative sound, started out releasing independent singles while still a teenager. He went viral in 2017 with ‘When I’m Down.’ His 2020 major-label debut album, ‘Ugly Is Beautiful,’ reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and topped the rock and alternative charts.

Tree had more than 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify.