ICONIC American rapper Oliver Tree is among six people killed in a “mid-air” collision between two helicopters in Brazil.

The California-born musician was in Rio de Janeiro for a major world tour which he called the “biggest of his life”, encompassing over 70 performances.

Boasting nearly 20 million followers on social media, the late singer-songwriter rose to fame in 2020 with his chart-topping debut album Ugly is Beautiful. 

On June 6 he performed a show in São Paulo and was scheduled to play his first show of the European leg in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 13.

Police confirmed that Tree was on the passenger list handed to aviation authorities, but have not been able to identify the bodies of those killed in the crash.

Argentinian YouTuber Gaspar Prim and music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, known as “Lucas Frota”, were also in the chopper.

Fernandes de Freitas, a tyre repair worker, said he witnessed one of the helicopters in flames following the mid-air collision, and noticed that one of the passengers jumped out of the other aircraft, before it hit the ground.

“It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,” he said.

The aircraft smashed into each other over the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighbourhood and then fell on a car park belonging to an electric vehicle dealership – igniting a major fire, CNN Brasil reported.

Tributes have been paid to Tree, describing him as a “huge inspiration” and a “king”.

His last video on Instagram, titled “Gringo 24 hours in Brazil”, showed the musician wearing a Brazil football T-shirt as he rode a motorcycle and got a haircut.

Iae Break, a social media personality with over 3.3 million followers who is featured in the video, posted a carousel of photos with Tree.

“I can’t believe you guys are gone,” he captioned it.

YouTuber KSI has also paid an emotional tribute to the singer and “legend”.

In a post shared on X, he said: “Can’t believe I’m actually having to type this. You’re 32, man. You should still be here.

“You still had so much life to live. So much music to make. So much content to make.

“You’re a legend and will always be a legend. Still doesn’t feel real. Genuinely feel sick. I love you, bro.”

A Brazilian living in Miami, Chaves had been hanging out with Tree in recent days, posting on social media that he had made “Oliver Tree sing forró”. 

Lucas was an electronic music producer, mainly of house music, and he posted videos of his music and travels to various countries.

The rest of the victims have been identified as passenger Lucas Vignale, as well as pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.

Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere had earlier said there were “foreign nationals on board one of the aircraft,” without giving further details.

Initial reports pointed to a mid-air collision.

Fire services spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil at the scene that it was unclear exactly how the accident unfolded.

He said: “Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of meters away, so the information we have is still very preliminary. 

“We really need to get the recordings and videos to understand exactly what happened.”

Contreiras said rescue workers had discovered one helicopter in flames among the electric cars, with five victims inside.

The shattered carcass of the second chopper was found around 330ft away. It was carrying only the pilot, who also died.

Contreiras said the fact that the aircraft had crashed in the parking area had prevented a much higher death toll.

“Given the surrounding residences, the accident could have been far more tragic,” he said.

He highlighted the challenges in fighting a fire impacting electric vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries.

“When this type of battery catches fire, it releases highly toxic gases and intensifies both the temperature and the severity of the blaze,” the official explained.

“Extinguishing a fire in one of these vehicles requires three to four times the amount of water needed for a fire in a standard car.”

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