Oliver Tree, the Santa Cruz-born musician who studied at San Francisco State University and performed at Outside Lands before breaking nationally, died Sunday in a midair helicopter collision over Rio de Janeiro that killed all six people aboard.

Tree, 32, whose real name was Oliver Tree Nickell, was listed on the passenger manifest given to Brazilian aviation authorities. The collision — two helicopters over the city's western zone — is now the subject of a Brazilian investigation. For Bay Area fans, the loss is personal: Tree built the early chapters of a career that would eventually chart internationally right here, performing at San Francisco festivals and attending SF State before Atlantic Records signed him in 2017.

Two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning and crashed in the city's western zone, killing all six people aboard, according to Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department. One of the aircraft went down on a car dealership, igniting a fire that spread to several electric vehicles parked on the lot before firefighters extinguished it.

Brazilian police said Oliver Tree Nickell, 32 — known professionally as Oliver Tree — was on the passenger list submitted to aviation authorities ahead of the flight. Police have not yet been able to identify the bodies of those killed, according to the Associated Press. Wikipedia updated his entry Sunday to reflect his death in the crash.

Fernandes de Freitas, a tire repair worker who witnessed the collision, told the AP he saw one of the helicopters in flames immediately after the midair impact and noticed a passenger jump from the other aircraft before it struck the ground. "It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying," De Freitas said.

Tree had been active in South America in the days leading up to the crash. He performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 4, and on Saturday posted a video to his Instagram showing him playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood — his last public post before the collision.

A Bay Area career origin

Tree was born June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz and spent formative years in the Bay Area. He studied business at San Francisco State University before transferring to the California Institute of the Arts, where he earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts. His early performances included Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco, and he later played Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, the annual Golden Gate Park showcase that helped launch him to wider audiences.

He signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his collaboration with producer Whethan, "When I'm Down," went viral. His 2020 debut studio album, Ugly Is Beautiful, established his signature style — a satirical, genre-blending blend of alternative rock, hip-hop, and pop wrapped in an absurdist visual persona. His 2022 single "Miss You" became his biggest commercial hit, reaching audiences far beyond his indie fanbase.

Tree released his fourth and final studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, on April 24, 2026 — less than two months before his death.

Officials in Rio said an investigation is underway to determine what caused the collision. No further details about the other passengers aboard either helicopter have been publicly released.

Tree was 32 years old. He would have turned 33 on June 29.