At 32, Oliver Tree had the world at his feet, celebrating the release of his fourth studio album and in the middle of his first world tour. Yet tragically Tree’s life was cut short last week when a helicopter he was riding collided with another in Brazil on Sunday, killing four young friends and two pilots. In an eerie turn of events, just weeks ago Tree had expressed his plans for his will, saying that when he died he didn’t want to leave his money to his loved ones but instead to aspiring young artists. Speaking on the Zach Sang Show on April 24, Tree explained: ‘I don’t believe that any of the wealth or the things that get made from it is mine.’And so when I die, set it up, my will is set up that when I pass, my family, no one’s gonna get a penny; if I have a wife or kids or anything, [they’re] not getting a f***ing penny.’Tree, who was not married and did not have any children, continued: ‘I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement. But they’re not going to be a silver spoon. They’re taken care of “because my dad worked on some stuff in the 2000s.”‘ The life and times of Oliver Tree: How singer raised in a travelling circus went on to become one of social media’s biggest stars before tragic helicopter crash (pictured in January) In an eerie turn of events, just weeks ago Tree had expressed his plans for his will, saying he wanted to leave his money to aspiring young artists rather than his family (pictured in 2025) Dramatic photos and videos have emerged showing the aftermath of the crash, with the mangled helicopters lying over smashed carsTree continued: ‘The idea is when I die, all the money’s gonna go back to artists. So I’ve set up a foundation. It’s called Dr. Oliver Tree’s Art Grants for Baby Geniuses.’And it’s set up so that basically the interest generated from my music will take mostly that, but there’s also room for other money because when I die, my art will continue to have residuals – and probably be worth more than it is now.’Tree went on to discuss his own legacy, musing that ‘historically speaking’, interest ‘in artist’s work goes up after they die.’He shared: ‘People will finally appreciate my stupid f***ing videos, my f***ing stupid songs – that’s when people appreciate you when you’re not there anymore.’Anyways, they might not, doesn’t even make a difference… the art will continue to make money no matter what.’It’s hardly surprising that Tree wanted to give back to the industry after his death, given his own unconventional way of finding fame. Born Oliver Tree Nickell, in Santa Cruz, California, Tree spent much of his childhood living in a motor home and travelling the world with his parents, who were circus performers. While unconventional, Tree has credited his time at Pickle Family Circus with inspiring his music, calling the experience ‘eye-opening’, and explaining: ‘I saw some performers there that shaped me. It trained me for life on the road as a touring musician.’His love of music was innate, with Tree taking on piano lessons at the age of three, songwriting the next year and having written an album by the time he was six. By middle school Tree had formed a ska band and soon became known for his work as a dubstep DJ – going on to open for the likes of Skrillex, Frank Ocean, and Tyler, the Creator.Tree then launched his solo career, managing to get signed by London-based R&S Records, and released his debut EP, Demons in August 2013.He then went on hiatus to study music technology at the California Institute of the Arts, where his senior thesis was titled, How to Turn Yourself into a Meme.Tree argued that adding a shock element into marketing, with attention-grabbing techniques and method-acted characters would help anyone stand out on the internet. He then took his own advice as he returned to making music and launching alter-ego ‘Turbo’, a caricature of the modern-day social media influencer, that he branded ‘just the right amount of annoying.’ Born Oliver Tree Nickell, in Santa Cruz, California, Tree spent much of his childhood living in a motor home and travelling the world with his parents, who were circus performers Tree argued that adding a shock element into marketing, with attention-grabbing techniques and method-acted characters would help anyone stand out on the internet Under the guise of Turbo, Tree became a star on Vine after pulling off feats that included fake online rows, a staged kidnap stunt and breaking bones pulling off scooter tricksUnder the guise of Turbo, Tree became a star on Vine after pulling off feats that included fake online rows, a staged kidnap stunt and breaking bones pulling off scooter tricks. His social media fame grabbed the attention of industry bosses, and he landed a deal with Atlantic Records, going on to release hits such as When I’m Down, which quickly went viral. Tree continued to market his music around a range of personas, creating characters such as cowboy Shawney Bravo and alien Little Ricky ZR3. He also collaborated with KSI and Skrillex, boasted 16.8 million TikTok followers, and was said to have a net worth of $4 million at the time of his death. Tree’s music videos have collectively garnered more than a billion views just on YouTube. His two most popular songs on the platform, Life Goes On and Miss You, earned 464 million views and 382 million views, respectively.Life Goes On was used in more than 3.7 million TikTok videos, and Miss You was used in around 1.5 million videos on the platform, making his music ubiquitous, even among those who did not know of the artist.Last month, Tree kicked off his first ever world tour to support his album Love You Madly, Hate You Badly. Yet after just four shows, Tree was tragically killed.Following his performance in Sao Paulo on June 6, Tree had stayed in Brazil to go sightseeing with friends but was killed in a mid-air helicopter collision. Days earlier he had shared poignant footage of himself playing football as World Cup fever sweeps across the South American country, which has won the championship five times.Tree was also filmed cooking steaks, riding a motorbike through Rio and singing with local influencers in videos captioned ‘American for the 1st time in Brazil’ and ‘Gringo 24 horas no Brasil.’His death sparked an outpouring of grief from his millions of fans and fellow content creators, with KSI saying he felt ‘genuinely sick’ on hearing his friend had passed away.Tree’s ex-girlfriend, singer Melanie Martinez, said she was an ‘absolute wreck’ after hearing the news. The couple dated from 2019 to 2021. Writing on her Instagram story, the artist said: ‘It’s really hard to understand how someone who you once shared such a specific and formative time of your life can all of a sudden be gone. He was so dedicated to his art which I admired and respected deeply.”I think everyone who knew him will look back at those moments of laughter and joy he so easily sparked,’ she added.She finished with: ‘Rest in peace Oliver. I know you’re making the angels giggle. I’ll be here wondering what stunt and creative project you’re scheming up in heaven.’ Tree’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief from his millions of fans and fellow content creators, with KSI saying he felt ‘genuinely sick’ on hearing his friend had passed away Tree’s ex-girlfriend, singer Melanie Martinez, said she was an ‘absolute wreck’ after hearing the news. The couple dated from 2019 to 2021The crash also claimed the lives Argentinian YouTuber Gaspar Prim, 23, known to fans as Gaspi, Argentine director and screenwriter Lucas Vignale, 29, Brazilian music producer Lucas Brito Chaves, 21, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.Gaspi was a highly popular content creator in his country. He had nearly three million subscribers on YouTube, where his videos collectively garnered tens of millions of views. One witness described seeing a helicopter in flames after the collision and saw a passenger jump to his death from the other aircraft before both hit the ground.’It was terrifying, absolutely horrifying,’ tyre worker Fernandes de Freitas said.Photos showed the devastating aftermath of the crash, which saw the two aircrafts and vehicles on the ground burst into flames with at least one person on the aircraft trying to jump to safety.Officials are now scouring through the wreckage to determine how the tragedy happened.