Oliver Tree: US pop star among six killed in ‘horrific’ helicopter crash is Rio de Janeiro

American pop singer Oliver Tree is among six people who have died in a helicopter crash in Brazil, just months before he was due to bring his latest tour to Australia.

The 32-year-old musician and five other people on board were killed when two helicopters collided mid-air over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said the aircraft came down in the beachside suburb of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, with one helicopter crashing into a car dealership and sparking a major fire.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene as debris rained down onto the ground and flames engulfed multiple vehicles. The bodies were taken to Afriano Piexoto Forensic Medical Institute.

According to CNN Brazil, the other people who were killed in the collision have been identified as Gaspar Prim, who is also known as Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi, Lucas Vignale, Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.

Fernandes de Freitas, a tyre repair worker, said he saw one of the helicopters in flames following the midair collision, and noticed that one of the passengers jumped out of the other aircraft before it hit the ground, AP reports.

“It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” Mr de Freitas said.

Officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the fatal crash.

Born Oliver Tree Nickell, the eccentric singer built a massive global following thanks to his distinctive bowl haircut hairstyle, outlandish videos and genre-blending music.

He rose to global fame after the release of his viral hits including Life Goes On, Miss You and Alien Boy, amassing nearly 20 million followers on social media and over 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Mr Tree had been touring South America in recent weeks and had performed in Sao Paulo earlier this month.

He was also preparing to bring his latest tour to Australia later this year in October following the release of his most recent album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly.

In a heartbreaking final social media post, shared just hours before the crash, Tree uploaded a video documenting his time in Brazil, showing him exploring local culture and meeting fans. The clip has since garnered a stream of tributes from shattered fans and followers.

News of the fatal collision has sent shockwaves through the music industry, with fellow artists also taking to social media to pay their respects.

YouTuber KSI paid an emotional tribute to “legend” Tree, who collaborated with KSI on the song Voices and is known for the track Miss You.

Argentine streaming channel Blender made a post to remember content creator Gaspar Prim Díaz, who had more than 2.8 million followers on YouTube and was just 23.

“Thanks for your art, your magic and your sensibility; every one of us will miss you,” Blender said on its X account.