Lil Poppa’s cause of death has been revealed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a medical examiner’s report.
On Thursday (Feb. 19), TMZ reported that Collective Music Group (CMG) artist, real name Janarious Mykel Wheeler, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday (Feb. 18) in Atlanta.
The 25-year-old reportedly shot himself in the head, and his death has been ruled a suicide by the Fulton County Medical Examiner.
The news of Lil Poppa’s death was first reported by TMZ and confirmed by Complex.
Lil Poppa was signed to CMG in 2022, joining the Yo Gotti-founded label that includes artists GloRilla, MoneyBagg Yo, 42 Dugg, EST Gee, and more.
The rapper released his last single, “Out of Town Bae” on Feb. 13 and was scheduled to perform at the Fillmore in New Orleans on March 21.
Lil Poppa released several albums in the last few years, including Almost Normal Again in 2025. The LP featured singles “Bout My Respect” and “Myself Again” and was followed by the 20-date Almost Normal Again Tour.
CMG shared a statement about Lil Poppa to Instagram on Thursday, calling the young artist “an ambitious young man with depth beyond his years and endless potential.”
“We are stunned and devastated by the loss of our beloved family member,” the post said. “He was one of those rare artists who thoughtfully poured his pain, growth and truth into his art. … This is a truly heartbreaking loss for everyone who knew and loved him.”
Yungeen Ace, who was featured on Lil Poppa’s last album, also posted a tribute to the late artist on Instagram.
“It’s 6:30am n Idk I been waiting on a Kall trying to see if you was finna tell me not to believe the internet but damn lil bro 🤦🏾♂️” he captioned the post. “All them talks same dream same problems I understand….bro you ah LEGEND I hope you understood that🫡”
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.
