Florida
Florida rapper Lil Poppa dies at 25
Florida rapper Lil Poppa has died, Georgia authorities said. He was 25.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the rapper’s death in a statement to NBC News, but did not provide further details. The cause and manner of death are under investigation, the office said.
The Jacksonville rapper, whose real name is Janarious Wheeler, was signed to rapper Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group and released songs including “Love & War,” “Mind Over Matter,” and “HAPPY TEARS.” His most recent studio album was last year’s “Almost Normal Again.”
Days before his death, he released the new track “Out of Town Bae.”
A representative for Wheeler did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Music producer Scotty OTH told NBC affiliate WTLV of Jacksonville that Wheeler was a “very hard worker.”
“I ain’t never seen nobody outwork Poppa. Poppa is the last man standing in the studio,” he said.
The pair made their first song together over five years ago.
“I was making beats, then he was making music, and 2019, 2018, we ended up making our first track together, but outside it’s deeper than music,” he said. “That was family to me. We called each other cousins.”
Photographer Terrence Tyson, who said he documented Lil Poppa’s rise to fame, told WTLV that the death has stunned the Jacksonville community.
“I know how myself and a lot of other people, how hard we went for him to get where he needed to be. It was a shock and it was a big loss,” Tyson said.
“When he made it, it felt like everyone made it,” Tyson said. “He was a star.”
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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