Rapper Lil Poppa Passed Away at the Age of 25 – Details

He was dropping new music, planning his next performance, and seemingly stepping into his prime, and then, everything stopped...

The hip-hop world is in shock after devastating news about one of its rising Southern stars. Lil Poppa, the Jacksonville, Florida-born rapper whose emotional lyrics won over thousands, has died at the age of 25.

A Rising Star Gone Without Warning

Signed to Yo Gotti's Collective Music Group (CMG), the rapper built a steady following with heartfelt tracks like "Love & War," "Mind Over Matter," and "HAPPY TEARS."

Just last August (2025), he dropped his 16-song album, "Almost Normal Again." And in what now feels heartbreakingly surreal, he released a brand-new single titled "Out of Town Bae" just this past Friday, on February 13, 2026.

Even more shocking? Lil Poppa was scheduled to perform in New Orleans next month. At only 25 years old, the young rapper appeared to be entering a major new phase of his career, making the sudden news of his death even more difficult to process.

According to TMZ, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Georgia confirmed that the artist — born Janarious Mykel Wheeler — was pronounced dead at 11:23 AM ET on February 18, 2026.

Yes, the exact time of his passing is known. But in a twist that has left fans stunned, his cause of death has not been immediately released, leaving many searching for answers. The news hits especially hard considering how active Lil Poppa had been in recent months.

A Mother’s Faith-Filled Cry as She Grieves the Loss of Her Son

In the hours after the heartbreaking news broke, Lil Poppa's mother shared an emotional response that has left fans in tears. Taking to Instagram, Monica Martin reposted a memory from six years ago, and the timing could not have felt more haunting.

"Lord I need you I no that this is just a test you say you will not put no more on us then we can bear Jesus!!! I need you 24 hours a day i thank you 🙏🏾 [sic]," she wrote in the resurfaced post, originally shared on February 18, 2020.

On the same day news of her son's passing was confirmed, she added another heartbreaking message: "May God bless the family." Her words were simple, but they carried unimaginable weight. The emotional tribute was shared publicly on Instagram by Records, where supporters quickly flooded the comments with prayers and condolences.

The Final Instagram Story

Adding another poignant layer to his sudden passing is the fact that mere hours before his death, Lil Poppa shared what would become his final Instagram Story.

The now-chilling clip appeared to show the rapper driving at night. In the dimly lit video, he sat behind the wheel as text flashed across the screen in separate frames: "you on," "the city," and "hold my."

There was no visible distress in the clip; no obvious sign that anything was wrong... Instead, it looked like a routine late-night drive, the kind he may have done countless times before. And that's what makes it all the more devastating.

Just hours after casually posting for his one million followers, Lil Poppa would be pronounced dead at 11:23 AM ET, a precise timestamp now etched into the minds of grieving supporters.

An Exact Time, an Unknown Cause, and a Career Cut Short

Yet despite knowing the exact time his life ended, the cause of his death remains publicly unknown. Between a grieving mother leaning on faith, a final video that now feels eerily symbolic, and a career that was still unfolding, the loss of Lil Poppa feels both sudden and deeply unfinished.

He was releasing music, planning performances, and seemingly stepping into his next chapter. Now, as fans replay his last Story and hold tight to his lyrics, one painful truth remains: while the clock has stopped, the questions have not.

At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Lil Poppa's mother and their entire family, his friends, community, fans, and all who knew and loved him as they mourn such a significant loss. We hope for their healing amid their time of grief. RIP, dear Lil Poppa.