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On June 14, 2026, Oliver Tree died in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the age of 32. As reported by CNN Brazil, a mid-air collision of two helicopters occurred over the western zone of the city, in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood. One helicopter crashed into a car dealership parking lot, sparking a fire. A total of six people were killed in the collision.
In the wake of his death, an earlier controversy involving him and K-pop fans has resurfaced.
In 2019, Oliver Tree posted an image on his official YouTube community tab to promote his Goodbye Farewell Tour. In the image, his face was photoshopped onto a photo from the funeral of SHINee’s Jonghyun, who died in 2017. The post included the caption:
“REST IN PEACE SWEET BOWL CUT”
K-pop fans quickly identified the source of the image as Jonghyun’s funeral and expressed strong criticism, viewing its use as insensitive. Oliver Tree deleted the post shortly after it went up. At the time, no detailed public apology was issued.
In October 2021, archived screenshots of the 2019 post began circulating online again. This led to renewed backlash from K-pop fans, who trended hashtags such as #apology_Olivertree on social media.
Oliver Tree responded with an apology posted to his Instagram story on October 11, 2021. He stated that he and his team had not known the origin of the image, which had come from an online source. He said they would not have posted it if they had been aware of its context, and they removed it as soon as they learned. He expressed that there was no “malicious” intent, describing it as a “foolish mistake” due to a lack of research. He apologized to late Jonghyun, his family, and fans who were hurt.
Some fans found the apology, which appeared only on Instagram Stories, to be insufficient because of its temporary nature. Others felt it did not fully address the concerns raised.
Who was Oliver Tree and what happened to SHINee’s Jonghyun?
Oliver Tree Nickell was an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, comedian, and filmmaker. He was born on June 29, 1993. Tree began his music career in the early 2010s under the name Tree and released his first EP, Demonsin 2013. He gained wider attention in 2016 through Vine videos and his alter ego, Turbo.
His breakthrough came with the track When I’m Down in collaboration with Whethan. In 2017, he signed with Atlantic Records. Then, he released his debut studio album, Ugly Is Beautiful (2020). He was known for hits such as Life Goes On, Alien Boyand Miss You with Robin Schulz.
SHINee’s Jonghyun’s full name was Kim Jong-hyun. He was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, and member of the K-pop group SHINee. He was born on April 8, 1990. Jonghyun debuted in 2008 as the main vocalist of SHINee under SM Entertainment. He was also active as a solo artist and producer.
On December 18, 2017, Jonghyun died at the age of 27 in Seoul, South Korea. As reported by Yonhap News Agency on December 18, 2017, he was found unconscious in a residence hotel in the Cheongdam-dong neighborhood. He was taken to Konkuk University Hospital but could not be revived and was pronounced dead at around 6:32 PM.
Police determined the cause of death to be suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Investigators found coal briquettes burning in a frying pan at the scene. As reported by Yonhap News Agency on December 19, 2017, a farewell note by SHINee’s Jonghyun was made public on Instagram by his close friend, Jang Hee-yeon of the band Dear Cloud, after consultation with Jonghyun’s family. In the note, Jonghyun wrote about being broken from the inside and how depression had affected him.
At the request of his family, no post-mortem examination was conducted.
The incident involving Oliver Tree and SHINee’s Jonghyun originated in 2019. It drew renewed attention in 2021 and has been referenced again following Oliver Tree’s death on June 14, 2026.
Edited by Toshali Kritika
