Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, has died in Georgia at the age of 25. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed his passing at 11:23 a.m. ET on Wednesday, February 18. No cause of death has been released. TMZ was first to report the news of the rapper’s death.
Lil Poppa had been at a creative high point. Just days before his passing, he released his latest single and video, “Out of Town Bae,” under Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG). The track previews his upcoming project and follows the release of his 2025 album Almost Normal Again, a 16-track collection exploring love, loss, and personal growth. He was also actively touring in support of the album on his Almost Normal Again Tour, which began in Washington, D.C., and concluded in his hometown of Jacksonville, bringing his music to audiences nationwide.
Lil Poppa rose to prominence with tracks like “Purple Hearts,” which reflected the aftermath of a shooting that killed three of his friends. This song, along with collaborations like 2019’s Eternal Living with Polo G, cemented his reputation for turning personal pain into compelling music. Over the years, he released projects such as Life After Desi, Evergreen Wildchild, Evergreen Wildchild 2, Blessed, I Guess, Half Man Half Vamp, and Wee Are Who We Are. “It’s a mindset thing. Once you decide you’re doing it for the people that are no longer here, you use the pain for motivation,” he said. “And then you’re unstoppable.”
Lil Poppa’s final Instagram activity came just 12 hours before his death, when he shared a video featuring the lyrics to Rod Wave’s “Letting It Go.” His last post on his feed, five days earlier, promoted the official video for “Out of Town Bae.”
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