Rapper Lil Poppa dead at 25, distraught fans respond with heartfelt tributes

Jacksonville, Fla. rapper Lil Poppa, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, has died at 25. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Georgia said he was pronounced dead on Wednesday at 11:23 a.m. ET; a cause of death has not yet been revealed. He had just released a new track, “Out Of Town Bae,” on Friday and shared a music video for the song on his Instagram account the same day.

Best known for the single “Love & War,” Lil Poppa was signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and left behind more than 10 full-length albums and projects, including the most recent, “Almost Normal Again,” released in August 2025. He had been scheduled to perform in New Orleans in March.

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