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

Jacksonville, Fla. rapper Lil Poppa has died, just days after releasing a new track.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Georgia told TMZ that the 25-year-old artist was pronounced dead on Wednesday at 11:23 a.m. ET. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

A rep for Lil Poppa did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

Per the outlet, Lil Poppa — whose given name is Janarious Mykel Wheeler — was scheduled to perform in New Orleans in March.

He released his newest track, “Out Of Town Bae,” on Friday, sharing a music video on his Instagram account the same day. Lil Poppa is best known for his single “Love & War.”

The prolific artist was signed with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and boasted a discography of more than 10 full-length albums and projects. His most recent, “Almost Normal Again,” dropped in August 2025.

As the news spread across social media, fans took to X and Instagram to express their disbelief.

“Aint no way lil Poppa gone,” one person wrote, while another added, “Mannn Lil Poppa I Can’t Believe This.”

“Lil Poppa got a song for every feeling you could feel,” a third person wrote, with a fourth chiming in, “Lil poppa done hurt the whole city with this one.”

“RIP Lil Poppa one of the greatest talents of our generation,” yet another remarked. “Crazy underrated this album here and this song in particular are some of the best of the last few years. So talented and so young this s–t rlly got me f–ked up.”

In a 2021 interview with Audiomack, the rapper reflected on how his career had affected fans.

“A lot of people tell me I got them through their toughest times,” he shared at the time.

“People say I got them through certain situations, or I stopped them from doing this or doing that. That means a lot. That makes me realize I got the power to change someone’s outlook on a certain situation. So I need to be mature enough to handle my own situations in a mature way.”