Rapper Lil Poppa Dies at Age 25 Just Days After Releasing New Music

Gabrielle RocksonThu, February 19, 2026 at 11:20 AM UTC

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Lil Poppa onstage at Little Caesars Arena on November 13, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty

Rapper Lil Poppa, has reportedly died at the age of 25

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed his death to multiple outlets, including The Independent and The Metro

His death comes just days after he dropped his news song "Out of Town Bae" on Feb. 13

Rapper Lil Poppa, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, has reportedly died at the age of 25.

The musician died in Georgia on Wednesday, Feb. 18, according to News4Jax and U.K. newspapers The Independent and The Metro.

His death was confirmed to the outlets by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.

"His manner and cause of death are pending investigation," senior medical examiner investigator Brian Jost Reents said in an email. Citing TMZ, The Metro reported that the artist was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 11:23 a.m. ET.

Lil Poppa was signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and had released his new song “Out of Town Bae" on Feb. 13.

His popular tracks included “Love & War,” “Mind Over Matter,” with his latest album, Almost Normal Again, released in August last year. Per The Metro, he was set to perform in New Orleans next month.

Lil Poppa peforming during Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour at State Farm Arena on December 5, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia

Prince Williams/WireImage

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In a 2021 interview with Audiomack, the rapper — who got his big break in 2018 with the independently released single Purple Hearts, which amassed millions of views on YouTube — said fans often praised him for getting them through their "toughest times."

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"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," the star said.

Many fans paid tribute in the comment section of the star’s final post on Instagram, which featured his latest song “Out of Town Bae."

“My boy im hurt like I knew you fr and I was just a fan 💔💔💔💔🕊️🐐,” one person wrote.

“Ofc you got a million followers now you was just at 941k before it all (they only love you when you gone),” a second added.

Lil Poppa onstage in concert at Toyota Center on October 31, 2024 in Houston, Texas

Marcus Ingram/Getty

Another also wrote, “800k when they announced it n now it’s 1M followers … smh they don’t love you till u gone 💔💔🕊️.”

And a fourth commented, “I had to come back here, i literallyyy cannot believe this Rip poppa🥲💜💜 my favorite vamp!”

PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Lil Poppa as well as the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, but didn't immediately receive responses.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”