Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa passes away at 25 in Atlanta
3 min readNew DelhiFeb 19, 2026 12:12 PM IST
Hollywood rapper Lil Poppa, whose real name is Janarious Mykel Wheeler, passed away at 25, on Wednesday, February 18, as reported by TMZ. The famous pop star, based out of Jacksonville, Florida, was confirmed dead by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Georgia, as per the publication’s report. The cause of death remains unknown but many fans commented on the rapper opening up about his battle with sickle cell anemia. He had spoken about it in his documentary, Blessed, I Guess.
He passed away at 11:23am ET on Wednesday. Lil Poppa’s family or official representatives have not confirmed his death or any involved incident yet. The rapper was signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) and gave many hit songs in the past few years, including Love & War, Mind Over Matter, and HAPPY TEARS.
Lil Poppa’s 16-song album ‘Almost Normal Again’ was released in August and he also unveiled a new single track ‘Out of Town Bae’ on last Friday. He was scheduled to perform in New Orleans next month. His death claims first emerged on the Instagram handle rapaler2.0, which claimed that the 25-year-old has passed away. There are also social media posts, claiming he was fatally shot.
After the news surfaced on the internet, several fans flooded social media to mourn the loss of their beloved rapper. Many also expressed shock over the sudden demise news of the young artist. “city feels this one, prayers for his family,” a person wrote on Instagram. Another fan commented, “I’m crying real tears rn.” “He’s one of the only rappers I actually listen too rip,” a third comment read. “it’s so sad seeing young talent go so early,” a shocked fan mentioned.
Lil poppa music got me through so much shit in life bruh smh I’m in disbelief
— zaay 🖤 (@globalzaay) February 18, 2026
I feel so bad for lil poppa friends & family you never really kno what b going on in ur folks head fr, love on ur people before it’s too late ❤️
— THE BIGGEST. (@kaee_1) February 18, 2026
Lil Poppa was known for his emotionally raw lyrics about street life, trauma and survival. The hip-hop artist gained a lot of popularity in the late 2010s, for his style, storytelling, and tracks describing personal challenges.
