Florida rapper Lil Poppa dead at age 25
A Florida rapper known as Lil Poppa died Wednesday, less than a week after releasing his last song.
Janarious Mykel Wheeler was 25 years old.
The Jacksonville, Florida-based rapper died in Georgia, the Fulton County medical examiner’s office confirmed. The cause and manner of death were pending Wednesday evening, the medical examiner told WXIA-TV. An investigation is ongoing, the medical examiner told WJXT-TV.
He was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m., according to TMZ, which was first to report the news.
Born in 2000, the rap artist has put in quite a bit of work in his short life, starting with his 2021 debut studio album, “Blessed, I Guess.” He then signed with rapper Yo Gotti’s collective music group and recorded several popular tracks, including “Love & War”, “Mind Over Matter” and “HAPPY TEARS”.
He has released a number of albums; his last one in August 2025 was titled “Almost Normal Again.” He took it on a 20-date “almost normal again tour” across the United States, WTSP-TV noted.
Wheeler released his latest single, “Out of Town Bae,” last Friday and was scheduled to perform in New Orleans next month.
A flood of tributes turned into a flood on social media throughout Wednesday as the news spread.
“My little brother is gone,” tweeted Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, CEO of Great Day Records, who worked with Lil Poppa in his early days. “Poppa, I love you so much. I’m so broken…”
