Two friends of American singer Oliver Tree narrowly escaped the deadly helicopter crash in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Music producer Victor Wao and influencer ‘Iae Break’ announced that they would normally have been on board one of the planes that collided in mid-air. The crash ultimately killed six people, including American singer Oliver Tree (32) and Argentinian YouTuber ‘Gaspi’ (23).
Journalist at HLN
Source: Le Parisien, G1.Globo
The crash happened on Sunday morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in western Rio de Janeiro. According to local media, the two helicopters collided in mid-air, after which one of the aircraft crashed on a site owned by car manufacturer BYD, which is used for vehicle storage. A serious fire broke out: about twenty cars went up in flames. The second aircraft crashed about a hundred meters away.
The crash ultimately killed four passengers and two pilots. Among the victims is the American singer-songwriter Oliver Tree (32). The artist was in Brazil as part of his world tour. Tree broke through internationally with hits such as ‘Life Goes On’, ‘Miss You’ and ‘Alien Boy’. The American would come to our country on September 6 for a show in the Royal Circus in Brussels.
The music world is reacting shocked to the tragic news. On social media, fans and fellow artists are reacting in shock to the death of the American singer.
Brazilian music producer and friend of Tree, Victor Wao, shared a photo with the singer on Instagram. He wrote: “I love you so much, brother. You were one of the most special people I have ever known.”
He then revealed that he was originally going to fly along with his friends. “I should have been in that helicopter with you, but at the last minute I didn’t go,” he wrote on Instagram. According to Wao, he did not feel well about the flight, after which a car was eventually arranged to take him to his destination.
According to Brazilian media, his place in the helicopter was taken by Brazilian DJ and producer Lucas Frota, who died in the crash. “I owe you my life, brother,” Wao wrote emotionally.
“Oliver had a big heart”
Influencer ‘Iae Break’, who has more than 3.3 million followers on social media, also narrowly escaped the disaster. In an emotional video, he said he had also been invited on the flight, but was unable to go due to a previous work commitment.
“I should have been in that helicopter today,” he said visibly emotional on Instagram. The influencer had shared several videos in recent days in which he visited Rio de Janeiro with Oliver Tree. “Oliver had a huge heart,” he concluded.