The cause of death for Jacksonville, Florida rapper Lil Poppa has been revealed following his untimely passing at the age of 25 on February.
As reported by TMZ, documents from the Fulton County coroner show that Poppa, who was signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) imprint, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 18, 2026. He was in the passenger seat of a car when he was found dead.
Hapeville, Georgia, Chief of Police Bruce Hedley previously said that Poppa, real name Janarious Mykel Wheeler, was involved in a single-car accident on Interstate 85 and spoke with his manager, agreeing to meet him at a Hilton Hotel nearby.
The details of the conversation he had with his manager once at the hotel, who spoke to him through the window of the car, remain unclear. He reportedly shot himself following the conversation. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A toxicology report has yet to be publicly released.
Following his death in February, the mother of the late rapper’s child, Toie Roberts, penned an emotional message dedicated to him.
“Nothing could EVER describe the pain, the thoughts, the constant heartbreak of it all,” Roberts wrote in a March 3 carousel post on Instagram. “Our reality changing before my eyes.. i’ve been wondering how could you be so in a rush to leave us so suddenly & torturing.. for us to go on without you in life..but deep down, i know you didn’t mean to & you didn’t mean to hurt us. ESPECIALLY NOT KOFI.. at least NOT LIKE THAT!!!”
When a memorial service was held for the rapper at the intersection of A. Philip Randolph Boulevard and Jessie Street on the East Side of Jacksonville, Florida, on February 21, the celebration came to an abrupt end when a gunman opened fire. Police confirmed that four people were injured in the shooting: two women and two men.
For more information about suicide prevention or to speak with someone confidentially, call or text with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
