A Florida rapper known as Lil Poppa died Wednesday (Feb 18), less than a week after releasing his latest song.
Janarious Mykel Wheeler was 25.
The Jacksonville, Florida-based rapper died in Georgia, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. His cause and manner of death were pending Wednesday evening, the medical examiner told WXIA-TV. An investigation is underway, the medical examiner told WJXT-TV.
He was pronounced dead at 11.23am, according to TMZ, which first reported the news.
Born in 2000, the rap artiste crammed quite a bit of work into his short life, starting with his 2021 debut studio album, Blessed, I Guess.
He later signed with rapper Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and recorded several popular numbers, including Love & War, Mind Over Matter and HAPPY TEARS.
He released a number of albums; his latest in August 2025 was titled Almost Normal Again. He took that one on a 20-date Almost Normal Again Tour around the US, WTSP-TV noted.
Wheeler released his latest single, Out Of Town Bae, last Friday and was slated to perform in New Orleans next month.
A trickling of tributes turned into a flood on social media throughout Wednesday as word spread.
“My little brother is gone,” tweeted Great Day Records CEO Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, who worked with Lil Poppa when he was just getting started. “Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken…” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
