NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Oliver Tree, the eccentric American musician known for viral stunts, alt-pop tracks like 鈥淎lien Boy鈥� and 鈥淟ife Goes On,鈥� and his unconventional style, died in a on June 14. He was 32.
Representatives for Tree directed The Associated Press to an official confirmation posted to Tree鈥檚 Instagram account.
鈥淩est in peace Oliver Tree Nickell June 29, 1993 鈥� June 14, 2026. Your legacy will live on forever,鈥� the caption read next to a slideshow of images reflecting Tree鈥檚 life and career.
鈥淗is legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named 鈥楧r. Oliver Tree鈥檚 Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses鈥� coming soon. This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing, written in his will,鈥� the caption continued. 鈥淲e will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish.鈥�
On the morning of June 14, in the Brazilian city鈥檚 Western zone, killing all six people aboard, firefighters said. Police confirmed that Tree was on the list of passengers given to aviation authorities. Argentine streaming channel Blender said that content creator Gaspar Prim D铆az, known as Gaspi, was also in one of the helicopters.
Tree was in the middle of his world tour at the time, which kicked off in on May 30 and was scheduled to hit all seven continents.
An outsider in pop and a viral hitmaker
Born June 29, 1993 in California, Oliver Tree Nickell June, a pop outsider with a knack for internet virality, was known for his own myth-making. Rocking bright 鈥�80s fashion and a distinctive bowl cut, Tree told interviewers he started piano lessons when he was 3 years old and had an album written by age 6. When he started his recording career in the 2010s, he did so while creating characters and making memes as he made music.
He released an electronic EP, 鈥淒emons,鈥� under the name 鈥淭ree鈥� in 2013 on R&S Records and scored a crucial feature on DJ and music producer Whethan鈥檚 2016 single 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 Down,鈥� growing his profile and online interest. That same year, he signed to and began recording as Oliver Tree.
In 2018, he released his 鈥淎lien Boy鈥� EP with the record company, anchored by the double music video 鈥淎ll That x Alien Boy.鈥� His specific visual language 鈥� off-kilter, comedic, collaborative 鈥� scored him legions of fans. To date, the video has over 52 million views on YouTube. And the single 鈥淎lien Boy鈥� was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) 鈥� his first of a few. His other platinum-certified songs include 2018鈥檚 鈥淗urt,鈥� 2021鈥檚 鈥淟ife Goes On鈥� and 2022鈥檚 鈥淢iss You鈥� with German musician and DJ Robin Schulz.
Over the years, his music evolved, marrying the genres of alternative rock, hip-hop and electro-pop with his cheeky flair.
His comedic persona continued to develop at the same pace: Consider the music video for 2018鈥檚 鈥淢ovement,鈥� where he bathed in a tub filled with and dubbed it an online 鈥渃hallenge.鈥� Or his 2020 major label full-length debut 鈥淯gly Is Beautiful,鈥� released weeks after he set for the world鈥檚 largest kick scooter.
Then came 2022鈥檚 鈥淐owboy Tears,鈥� a humorous country detour, 2023鈥檚 鈥淎lone in the Crowd,鈥� which follows the story of a character named Cornelius Cummings, and most recently, his entirely self-produced 2026 album, 鈥淟ove You Madly Hate You Badly.鈥�
All the while, his social media profile continued to explode due to his humorous antics and hooky-heavy songs. On , he boasts of 22.6 million followers 鈥� as well as 8.6 million on YouTube and 5 million on Instagram.
Tributes to Tree quickly poured in from other musicians
As news of Tree鈥檚 death broke online, famous fans and friends began paying homage to him.
鈥淪poke to Oliver a few weeks ago. This is heartbreaking. A really amazing and beautiful human,鈥� wrote on X. 鈥淪ending all my prayers and love to the families dealing with losses. Oliver we love you, forever.鈥�
鈥淏een an absolute wreck today. It鈥檚 really hard to understand how someone who you once shared such a specific and formative time of your life with can all of a sudden be gone,鈥� wrote Sunday in an Instagram Story post. 鈥淗e was so dedicated to his art which I admired and respected so deeply. I think everyone who knew him will look back at those moments of laughter and joy he so easily sparked. His laugh was so contagious and warm.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 in shock 鈥� I can鈥檛 believe it,鈥� wrote on X. 鈥淗e was so smart. Passionate. Talented. Kind. I鈥檓 so sad. May he rest in peace.鈥�
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