Photo: Getty Images
Florida Lil Poppa passed away after he shot himself in the head.
According to a report TMZ published on Thursday, February 19, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Georgia ruled the CMG rapper's death a suicide. Poppa, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, reportedly had some concerning thoughts in the weeks leading up to his death. The last Instagram Story he posted before he died was a video of Rod Wave singing his 2024 track "Letting It Go." Fans also resurfaced a clip he posted to his stories two weeks ago, in which he said, "I got one more album and its over. I’m going to find my peace.”
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Georgia confirmed that the Jacksonville native was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m. on Wednesday. He was only 25. Soon after the news broke, numerous artists took to social media to mourn Lil Poppa's death, including Trap Beckham, Scy Jimm, Pluto and Boosie Badazz. Lil Duval, who knew Poppa as a kid, also paid his respects to the late rapper.
"This one really hurt me cuz i really cared about lil poppa," Duval wrote on X. "Most of us in Jacksonville knew him since he was a kid. And we all wanted him to win and he was. Cuz once the drill music died done he was the only one left standing. And he deserved it cuz He was really who all these other YN rappers wanted to be in Jacksonville. Even his enemies was his fans first. We talked a couple weeks ago he said “i know i was suppose been pulled up to camp Duval but i been busy but im definitely pulling up soon” and i said “ain’t no rush it ain’t going no where” now i wish i would’ve forced it."
Lil Poppa gained traction with hits like "Man of the Year" and "Dangerous" along with his Under Investigation featuring Yungeen Ace and YFN Lucci. Pop expanded on his Under Investigation series with two more installments. Under Investigation 2 was his first project to drop via Interscope Records. In 2022, Yo Gotti signed Poppa to Collective Music Group. The young artist released four more albums, including his most recent LP Almost Normal Again.
CMG shared a statement after learning about his cause of death. See what his label had to say below. Rest in peace, Lil Poppa.