Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, has died at the age of 25, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. The cause of death remains under investigation. Tributes have poured in from fans and fellow artists following the news.
Lil Poppa, whose real name was Janarious Mykel Wheeler, passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m. ET, as reported by TMZ. Born in 2000 in Jacksonville, Florida, Wheeler began rapping at age 7 and initially wrote music for his church before transitioning to secular tracks. He gained prominence in 2018 at age 18 with the song “Purple Hearts,” which recounted surviving a shooting in his hometown and appeared on his Under Investigation mixtape.
The virality of “Purple Hearts” led to a signing with Interscope Records. His debut album on the label, Blessed, I Guess, released in May 2021 and reached No. 160 on the Billboard 200. In 2022, he joined Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) label, following the success of his Under Investigation series, with the third installment peaking at No. 194 on the Billboard 200 that May. His most recent album, the 16-track Almost Normal Again, came out in August 2025 and featured singles “Bout My Respect” and “Myself Again,” along with collaborations including Yungeen Ace and Mozzy.
Poppa had been active recently, releasing the single “Out of Town Bae” on February 13, 2026. He toured extensively, including a 20-date Almost Normal Again Tour after the album’s release and joining Rod Wave on the “Last Lap Tour.” An upcoming performance was scheduled for March 21 at The Fillmore in New Orleans.
Over his career, Poppa collaborated with artists such as Yo Gotti, Polo G, Rylo Rodriguez, Toosii, Mozzy, Yungeen Ace, and Seddy Hendrix. He also achieved a No. 4 peak on the Heatseekers Albums chart with Heavy is the Head in November 2022.
News of his death prompted tributes from peers including Dej Loaf, Mozzy, and Nardo Wick. Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, CEO of Great Day Records and an early collaborator at Interscope, shared on X: “My little brother is gone. Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed 4 of his projects. I’m so sad right now.”
