American singer-comedian Oliver Tree killed in Brazil helicopter collision

A major aviation disaster struck Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning when two helicopters collided in midair over the city’s western area and crashed to the ground. One of the aircraft slammed into a car dealership parking lot, triggering a powerful explosion and a fast-moving fire that spread among dozens of parked vehicles, including electric cars.

Fire and rescue crews worked for hours to contain the blaze and extract victims, but authorities later confirmed that six people aboard the two helicopters were dead. According to lists passed to aviation authorities, one of the victims was Oliver Tree, a 32-year-old American singer and comedian.

Tree was widely known in the entertainment and music world and gained international attention in 2020 for building what was described as the world’s largest scooter. The giant scooter, more than four meters tall and over three meters long, became a viral online sensation and brought him broader recognition.

Brazilian authorities are still investigating how the two helicopters ended up on the same flight path and caused such a deadly crash. Full identification of all the dead is expected to take time because of the intensity of the fire and the damage at the scene.