Oliver Tree

Family and childhood

Oliver Tree Nickell was born on June 29, 1993,^[6][7] in Santa Cruz, California, to Jesse Louis Nickell III, a real estate contractor, and Christine Marie (née Begin).^[8] Both of his parents also worked as traveling circus performers.^[9] Because of his parents' entertainment careers, Tree spent his early childhood living in a mobile motor home, traveling extensively across the United States before his family settled permanently back in Santa Cruz when he was 12 years old.^[10] He grew up surrounded by musical instruments lining the walls of the vehicle, which fostered his early creativity.^[9]

Tree began taking classical piano lessons at age three, started writing original compositions at age four, and claimed to have written a full album by the time he was six years old.^[11][12] Despite his parents' unconventional background, they maintained a structured home environment once settled in Santa Cruz, providing him access to synthesizers, recording equipment, and art supplies that fueled his multidisciplinary interests.^[9]

Adolescence and personal struggles

Tree's adolescence was marked by periods of personal turmoil. When he was 13 years old, his cousin died from spinal meningitis, an event that affected his mental health and altered his worldview. He struggled with drug addiction during his early teens and briefly worked as a local drug dealer, which strained family relationships and resulted in him being temporarily kicked out of his family home.^[13] During this period of estrangement, Tree turned to creative outlets to cope, ultimately reconciling with his parents after finding stability through local music collectives and athletic competitions.^[9][13] The psychological distress from this era and his existential anxieties surrounding mortality would later become prominent themes across his discography.^[13]

Competitive scooter career

Alongside his early creative interests, Tree was involved in extreme sports during his youth; in high school he began kick-scootering at a competitive amateur level.^[10] By age 18, Tree retired from formal competition following a succession of physical injuries, including a severe crash that resulted in multiple broken bones and joint dislocations.^[10] Rather than abandoning the subculture, he redirected his athletic experience into performance art as he integrated professional scooter stunts, customized oversized models, and extreme sports gear into his major-label music videos and live performances.^[14]

Early musical projects and DJ career

During middle school, Tree picked up the guitar, began singing, and joined a local Santa Cruz ska band called Irony, which provided his first experiences performing live.^[15] During his high school years, he transitioned away from ska towards electronic music and hip-hop, often participating in local rap projects and a psychedelic jam band.^[12]

He became an active DJ in the local Santa Cruz area under the pseudonym Kryph, focusing on producing dubstep. During this era, he frequently collaborated with future electronic producer Getter, as well as local artist Minnesota, with whom he co-created the song "Next Level Shit".^[12] He also joined a local rap collective called Mindfuck.^[14] By age 17, performing as Kryph, he secured slots at electronic music festivals such as Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco. Under the name Tree, he later opened for touring acts including Skrillex, Zeds Dead, Tyler, the Creator, Nero, and Frank Ocean.^[16] His performances during this period were characterized by an eclectic mix of heavy bass genres and indie electronica, establishing his footprint in the Northern California underground dance scene, before he pivoted to alternative rock songwriting.^[12]

Higher education

After graduating from high school, Tree moved to San Francisco to study business at San Francisco State University (SFSU).^[17] He attended the institution for two years.^[17] While a student, he signed to the independent label R&S Records at the age of 18 and released his debut EP Demons in 2013, which gained underground recognition after receiving praise from Thom Yorke of Radiohead.^[15]

Following the release, Tree took a brief hiatus to re-evaluate his creative direction, ultimately deciding that a traditional business track did not align with his artistic ambitions. He transferred to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to fully commit to music production and performance art.^[15] He graduated from CalArts in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology.^[17] His education at CalArts would later provide the foundation for directing his own narrative-driven visual projects in his professional career.^[17]

2010–2016: Early career and hiatus

Tree launched his solo recording career as "Tree" in 2010. By then, he had opened for Skrillex and Zedd as a DJ.^[18] He initially self-released his material, independently issuing the album Splitting Branches in early 2013. He sang and played guitar in a ska band called Irony, which was his first experience performing.^[19] He also performed at music festivals such as Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco.^[16]

On August 12, 2013, Tree signed with London-based R&S Records and released his debut extended play (EP), titled Demons. The EP achieved recognition after Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke approved of his cover of their song "Karma Police".^[20] Tree eventually went on hiatus as he went back to school, studying music technology at the California Institute of the Arts.^{[17][‡ 1]}

2016–2018: Return to music and Alien Boy

In March 2016, Tree returned to music, being featured on the song "Forget It" by Getter, a part of his EP Radical Dude!^[21] In November of that year, he made his television debut, performing on Last Call with Carson Daly.^[22]

Shortly after the release of "When I'm Down" by Whethan featuring Tree in October 2016, Tree signed to Atlantic Records.^[14][23] That same year, he graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in fine arts.^[24] On May 26, 2017, he released "Welcome to LA" as his debut single as Oliver Tree.^[23] In February 2018, Tree released his major-label debut EP, Alien Boy, along with the double music video for "All That x Alien Boy". Tree wrote and directed the debut, which took over nine months to create.^{[25][‡ 2]} He spent five months practicing freestyle monster truck jumping at the Perris Auto Speedway and performed all his own stunts in the music video.^[26] Tree played at major festivals including Lollapalooza and Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, and performed as a special guest at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival where he was subsequently named on LA Weekly's "The Best (and Weirdest) Fashion at Coachella" list in 2017.^[25][27]

He was the supporting act on Louis the Child's Last to Leave Tour (2017)^[28] and Skizzy Mars' Are You OK? Tour (2018),^[29] and was scheduled to join Lil Dicky and DJ Mustard on the Life Lessons Tour Fall 2018 before it was canceled.^[25] Tree toured North America and Europe with Hobo Johnson in 2018. Tree also wrote, acted, and directed sketches in comedy videos and worked with companies such as Jerry Media.^[30]

2018–2020: Ugly Is Beautiful and singles

Throughout 2018 and 2019, Tree released a string of singles that later appeared on his debut studio album, Ugly Is Beautiful. On December 7, 2018, Tree released his second major music video, "Hurt". He traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to film the video, which he wrote and co-directed with Brendan Vaughan.^{[‡ 3]} Tree then embarked on the Ugly Is Beautiful Tour, performing new material including "Joke's On You!" and "Waste My Time". On April 11, 2019, Tree released a standalone single, "Fuck", with the music video releasing on the same day.^{[‡ 4]}

His fourth music video and single, "Miracle Man", was released on June 7, 2019, with the video reaching 1.3 million views on its first day. Tree released his second EP, Do You Feel Me? on August 2, 2019, which received generally positive reviews from critics.^[31]

On December 6, 2019, Tree released "Cash Machine" accompanied by a colorful, stunt-heavy music video. Together with the single, Tree officially announced his debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, originally slating it for a March 27, 2020 release.^{[‡ 5]} On March 25, 2020, Tree announced that the album would be delayed because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[14][‡ 6]} Ugly Is Beautiful was released after several delays on July 17, 2020,^[32] debuting at number 14 on the Billboard 200^[33] and hitting number one on the Top Alternative Albums chart.^[34]

2021–2022: Deluxe versions, comics, and Cowboy Tears

Despite continuing his satirical claims of retirement, Tree released the single "Out of Ordinary" on February 4, 2021, and announced the upcoming release of the deluxe edition of Ugly Is Beautiful.^[35] On May 28, 2021, Tree released the expanded version, titled Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier. The re-release included the track "Life Goes On", which became a worldwide commercial success, fueled by its virality on TikTok.^[36]

Expanding into publishing, Tree collaborated with Z2 Comics in 2021 to release a graphic novel titled Oliver Tree vs. Little Ricky ZR3, which expanded on the lore of his characters and alter egos.^[37]

On January 12, 2022, Tree pivoted to a country-pop aesthetic and released the single "Cowboys Don't Cry", followed by "Freaks & Geeks" on February 4, both serving as singles for his second studio album, Cowboy Tears.^{[‡ 7]} The album was released on February 18, 2022, and featured collaborations with artists including Whethan and Travis Barker. To accompany the album, Tree embarked on the Cowboy Tears Tour.^[38] In late 2022, his collaborative remix of "Jerk" with DJ Robin Schulz, retitled "Miss You", became another global hit, charting highly across Europe and Australia.

2023–2026: Alone in a Crowd and Love You Madly Hate You Badly

On March 3, 2023, Tree released his first single of 2023, "Here We Go Again", with DJ and record producer David Guetta. He followed up this release with a single titled "Bounce" released on June 20. The same day, he performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado, and announced that the song was the first single released for his third studio album, Alone in a Crowd.^[39] On July 17, Tree announced that his Alone in a Crowd World Tour would occur from October 2023 to February 2024. He would be scheduled to perform in Australia with American rapper Sueco, Europe and the United Kingdom with Tommy Cash, and the United States with rock band Fidlar. On July 21, he released his second single from the album, "One & Only". He collaborated with upcoming underground dance music group Super Computer for his third single, "Essence", which was released on September 1, 2023. On September 15, a fourth single was released, "Fairweather Friends". Alone in a Crowd was released two weeks later on September 29, 2023.^[39]

In October 2025, Tree released the single "Superhero" as the lead single to his upcoming album Love You Madly Hate You Badly.^[40] Tree also announced that he had left Atlantic Records to release the album independently under his own imprint, Alien Boy Records. The album was then released on April 24, 2026.^[41] On May 4, 2026, Tree announced The World's First World Tour (also referred to as the "Love You Madly Hate You Badly" world tour), an ambitious venture scheduled to span seven continents, encompassing over 70 shows across 30 countries throughout the remainder of the year.^[42] The tour commenced on May 30, 2026, in Mexico City, with a final performance in São Paulo on June 6.^[7][43]

Background and tour itinerary

In June 2026, Tree traveled to South America as part of his headlining concert tour supporting his fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, which commenced on May 30 in Mexico City.^[46] The tour was planned to span over 70 performances across 30 countries and all seven continents, with prospective dates promoted in China, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and Antarctica.^[47]

Following tour stops in Buenos Aires on June 4 and São Paulo on June 6, Tree arrived in Rio de Janeiro.^[47] Active on social media in the days before the accident, Tree documented his stay in the city by interacting with locals in a favela, filming himself playing football, and uploading Instagram Stories alongside fellow musicians from a Rio recording studio just hours before his death.^[47][48][49]

Helicopter collision

On the morning of June 14, 2026, Tree was among the five occupants aboard a Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter operated by Turfik Comércio de Frutas.^[50][51] At approximately 9:00 a.m. local time, the aircraft collided with a second helicopter, an Aérospatiale AS350 Ecureuil, over Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a beachside neighborhood in Rio's West Zone.^[48][50] Following the impact, the aircraft crashed into the commercial parking lot of a BYD Auto electric car dealership, triggering an explosion and a massive fire that destroyed roughly 20 parked electric vehicles before being contained by the Rio de Janeiro Military Fire Department.^[48][50]

Casualties and investigation

Argentine YouTuber Gaspi (left), Argentine director and screenwriter Lucas A. Vignale (right) and Brazilian music producer Lucas Frota (bottom)

All six individuals across both aircraft were killed upon impact. Alongside Tree, the casualties inside the Bell 206 included Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi (Gaspar Prim Díaz), Argentinian film director Lucas A. Vignale, Brazilian music producer Lucas Frota, and pilot Alexandre Souza.^[48][52] The sole occupant of the AS350, pilot Charles Marsillac, also died.^[50]

While aviation authorities verified Tree's presence on the official flight manifest, local police noted that formal forensic identification required extensive processing because of severe thermal trauma from the post-crash fire.^[53] Identification of Tree's body was confirmed on June 16.^[54]

A formal investigation into the causal factors of the collision was opened by the Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA), the Third Regional Service for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (SERIPA III), and the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), with preliminary police inquiries pointing toward human error.^[49][50]

Reaction and tributes

Following confirmation of the disaster, public tributes were shared across the entertainment industry. British internet personality, YouTuber, and musician KSI, who collaborated with Tree on the 2023 single "Voices", published a statement on social media characterizing Tree as a "legend" and expressing shock over his sudden death.^[53][55] Logan Paul posted a tribute to Tree on Instagram, stating: "I'm still in denial that one of my favorite people is no longer with us. I'm absolutely gutted, words can't describe how special Oliver was to so many people. Tragedy has taken life way too soon, with so much creativity and vibrance and talent. I'd like to think he's on his next adventure somewhere in the universe. Horrible horrible horrible, I don't even know how to process this. Rest in peace Lucas Vignale, Lucas Chaves, Gaspi & Oliver. Love you brother we are all going to miss you @olivertree".^[56] The Hollywood Reporter reflected in an article that he was best known for his meme marketing and signature bowl cut.^[57] Additional condolences were offered by peers, friends, and musical collaborators, including his ex-girlfriend Melanie Martinez, Oliver Heldens, T-Pain, Robin Schulz, Bebe Rexha, Kid Cudi, Whitney Cummings, Diplo, and Post Malone.^[a]

Official statements were also issued by state entities and corporate bodies affected by the crash. The acting governor of Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Couto, issued a public decree expressing solidarity with the families of the victims.^[48] Producer Victor Wao stated he had opted out of riding on the helicopter because of a fear of flying and rode in a car instead, ultimately saving his life.^[62][63]

Burial

On June 17, the United States embassy in Brasília authorized the repatriation of Tree's body back to the United States for burial.^[64] On June 21, his body was confirmed to be in California.^[65] A livestream of Tree's memorial service is planned for July 25, 2026.^[66]

Television

Film

Headlining