Lil Poppa, a rapper from Jacksonville, Florida, died Wednesday at the age of 25, just days after releasing a new song.
The Fulton County, Georgia, coroner’s office tells TMZ that the 25-year-old artist was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
Representatives for Lil Poppa did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
According to the outlet, Lil Poppa (real name Janarius Mikel Wheeler) was scheduled to perform in New Orleans in March.
He released his latest song “Out Of Town Bae” on Friday and shared the music video on his Instagram account the same day. Lil Poppa is best known for his single “Love & War.”
The artist was signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and boasted a discography of over 10 full-length albums and projects. His latest work “Almost Normal Again” was released in August 2025.
As the news spread on social media, fans took to X and Instagram to express their disbelief.
One person wrote: “I can’t believe Poppa is gone,” while another added: “Oh lil Poppa I can’t believe it.”
“Lil Poppa put every emotion you could feel into a song,” a third person wrote, while a fourth chimed in, “Lil Poppa hurt the whole town with this song.”
“Rest in peace Lil Poppa, one of the greatest talents of our generation,” said yet another. “This album is underrated, but this song in particular is one of the best in years. I was really excited about this song because there was so much talent and so young.”
In a 2021 interview with Audiomack, the rapper reflected on how his career has impacted his fans.
“A lot of people tell me that I got them through their toughest times,” he said at the time.
“People say I got them through a certain situation or I didn’t let them do this or that. It means a lot. It made me realize that I have the power to change someone’s perspective on a certain situation. So I have to be mature enough to handle my situation in a mature way.”
