The 32-year-old Tree – with a distinctive bowl haircut and eccentric, meme-worthy internet persona – was known for hits such as Life Goes On, Miss You, and Alien Boy.
He blended music with performance art, pranks and parody, internet trolling and performing high-risk stunts in some of his videos.
Many fans on social media wondered if reports of his death in the helicopter accident were another one of his elaborate bits.
Tree has over 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with his top songs listened to over 700 million times.
In recent days his Instagram account featured videos of him in Brazil, where he performed in Sao Paulo on June 6 on his tour of over 30 countries.
His next show was due in Lisbon on Jul 1.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said earlier that there were “foreign nationals on board one of the aircraft,” without giving further details.
A REALLY LOUD EXPLOSION
Burger King employee Thamires Santos, 27, said he was at work when he heard “a really loud explosion. The shop actually shook.”
After the collision he saw helicopter parts “flying in all directions.”
Fire services spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Fabio Contreiras told CNN Brasil at the scene that it was unclear exactly how the accident unfolded.
“Parts of the aircraft are scattered hundreds of metres away, so the information we have is still very preliminary,” he said. “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.
A second helicopter found some 100m away was carrying only the pilot, who also died.
“Given the surrounding residences, the accident could have been far more tragic,” said Contreiras.
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. 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.”
Small aircraft crashes are common in Brazil, the world’s fifth-largest country.
Last month a small plane crashed into the side of a building in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, killing the pilot and copilot.
According to statistics from the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) – not including this latest collision – there have been 84 aircraft accidents in 2026 so far, leaving 25 people dead.