A promising young Australian musician has lost his life in a sudden, unforeseen tragedy at a popular Victorian ski region, leaving his community reeling from shock and grief. Talae Rodden, a 27-year-old singer-songwriter who performed under the stage name RiceWine, died on Monday when a mature tree unexpectedly collapsed onto the vehicle he was traveling in along Mt Buller Rd in northeastern Victoria.
Rodden was riding as a passenger alongside his mother, Sally, when the incident occurred. While Sally was rushed to a nearby hospital with critical injuries after the accident, her son was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.
Already a fast-rising name in Australia’s independent music scene, Rodden had built a growing global fanbase through his work. His breakout track *Summer Spent*, released four years ago, has accumulated more than 1.1 million views on YouTube, and he had already graced the stages of major national events including Sydney’s SXSW and October 2025’s Inner West Fest, as he worked to establish his full-time career in music.
In the wake of the devastating loss, Rodden’s local community has moved quickly to support his grieving family, who are longstanding, beloved members of the interconnected Mount Buller, Merrijig and Mansfield regional communities. The University Ski Club, with which the family has deep ties, launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding page to cover the costs of Rodden’s funeral and Sally’s ongoing medical recovery expenses.
The outpouring of support has been overwhelming: more than 750 individual donors have contributed to the campaign, pushing the total raised to an extraordinary $113,000 in just days since the tragedy. In a public statement shared on the fundraising page, club representatives reflected the widespread heartbreak across the region.
“There are simply no words to describe the shock and heartbreak felt by everyone who knows this beautiful family,” the statement read. “Talae was a talented and much-loved young man, cherished by his family, friends and so many people who had the privilege of knowing him. His loss has left an enormous hole in the communities he was so much a part of.”
Rodden is survived by his mother Sally, who remains in hospital recovering from her injuries, his father Cha, and his brother Jared.