UPDATE — 2/19/26, 3:28 p.m. ET: Lil Poppa’s cause of death has been revealed.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Georgia told TMZ on Thursday, February 19, that the rapper died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death was ruled a suicide.
Original story below:
Rapper Lil Poppa is dead at age 25.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Georgia confirmed in a Wednesday, February 18, statement to Luxury Handbag Shopping that the musician was pronounced dead earlier that morning.
At present, both the manner and cause of death are under investigation.
Great Day Records CEO Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, who worked with Lil Poppa in the early stages of his career, took to social media on Wednesday to pay homage to the late rapper.
“My little brother is gone,” Diaz wrote via X on Wednesday. “Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed 4 of his projects. I’m so sad right now.”
Several of Lil Poppa’s fans also reacted to the news, with one writing, “Poppa tell me it ain’t true.” Another replied, “You ain’t leave me like this 😔 ain’t NO WAY.”
Luxury Handbag Shopping has reached out to Lil Poppa’s representatives and the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.
Lil Poppa was best known for his songs “Love & War,” “Mind Over Matter” and “HAPPY TEARS.” The musician started rapping at age 7 in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. In 2018, he wrote the track “Purple Hearts,” inspired from his real-life experience surviving a drive-by shooting. The track ended up going viral. That same year, Lil Poppa released his debut album, Under Investigation.
Following the success of “Purple Hearts,” Lil Poppa signed a record deal with Interscope Records. He was later signed to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) in 2022. He went on to release several more records including Blessed, I Guess, Half Man Half Vamp, Hold That Thought and Almost Normal Again.
Lil Poppa previously expressed his gratitude for his fans as they connected with his music over the years.
“A lot of people tell me I got them through their toughest times,” he said in a 2021 interview with Audiomack. “People say I got them through certain situations, or I stopped them from doing this or doing that. That means a lot.”
Lil Poppa continued, “That makes me realize I got the power to change someone’s outlook on a certain situation. So I need to be mature enough to handle my own situations in a mature way.”
He also opened up about why he wasn’t afraid to get vulnerable on his tracks.
“We go through so much on a daily basis. So we might feel like we’re at our worst, but we don’t even realize how much of a blessing some situations are,” the singer reflected. “Not everyone believes in the idea that everything happens for a reason. But even when we’re feeling like we’re the most cursed at times, we really can’t complain. Ain’t nothing to complain about, because it could be worse.”
Earlier this month, Lil Poppa released his new track “Out Of Town Bae.” He dropped the official music video on Friday, February 13.
“Out Of Town Bae Official Video out now❤️🔥,” he shared alongside a snippet from the video via Instagram.
Lil Poppa spent the last year on tour, and had a Birthday Bash concert scheduled next month in New Orleans.
“This Year I’m Having My Birthday Bash Concert in New Orleans at @thefillmorenola,” he wrote via Instagram in January. “Come Celebrate With Me. Tickets On Sale Now! Link in bio❤️🔥.”
