Overview
- The Fulton County Medical Examiner said Janarious “Lil Poppa” Wheeler, 25, was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m. ET on Feb. 18 in Georgia.
- After an autopsy, the medical examiner ruled the death a suicide caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
- Hapeville police reported he crashed on I-85, met his manager in a nearby Hilton parking lot, then shot himself in his car; an off-duty officer called 911 and he was taken to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
- Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group issued an official tribute calling Wheeler a beloved family member and pledging to uphold his legacy.
- Days before his death, he released the single “Out Of Town Bae,” following his August 2025 album Almost Normal Again, and he had been scheduled to perform in New Orleans on March 21.