Oliver Tree Dies at 32 in Rio Helicopter Crash

Oliver Tree, 32, has died in Rio helicopter crash. The US singer was on world tour when two choppers collided, killing six.

American singer Oliver Tree performing on stage before fatal Rio de Janeiro helicopter crash

American singer Oliver Tree is dead.

The 32-year-old died on Sunday morning after two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro. Police say all six people on board both aircraft were killed.

Rio's Military Fire Department confirmed one of the helicopters fell on the parking lot of a car dealership in the city's western zone. Several electric vehicles were parked there and caught fire before firefighters put it out.

Officials say an investigation is now underway to find out why the two aircraft hit each other mid-air.

Tree was in Brazil for his world tour. A police source told AFP he was aboard one of the helicopters that went down in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a suburb in southwest Rio.

The victims have not been formally identified yet because of severe burns. The Civil Police shared the flight manifests and listed Tree among the dead.

Brazilian outlet O Dia named him as one of the six victims. Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim, known online as Gaspi, was also on board.

Firefighters said the crash set about 20 cars ablaze in the dealership lot. One helicopter was carrying five people, including Tree. The other had only the pilot. There were no survivors.

Tree was easy to spot, bowl haircut, big scooter, bigger internet personality. He broke out with songs like "Alien Boy", "Life Goes On" and "Miss You".

He had more than 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His biggest tracks have been streamed over 700 million times.

He was in the middle of a massive tour more than 70 shows across 30 countries on seven continents. He played Buenos Aires on June 4. On Saturday, he posted a video on Instagram playing football in a Brazilian neighbourhood.

Last year, he earned a Brit Award nomination for International Song of the Year with German producer Robin Schulz for "Miss You". The song reached number 3 in the UK.

In 2020, he set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest kick scooter 4.16 metres tall and 3.13 metres long. He said he built it to fulfil a childhood dream.

Tributes have started pouring in from fans in Brazil, Argentina and the US. His team has not released a formal statement yet.

Brazilian aviation authorities say they will examine flight data and wreckage in the coming days.