Friends and family gathered Thursday to remember a Birmingham rapper who died one week, more than a month after he was wounded in an ambush shooting in Ensley.

JerrMarius Deonta Sills, 21, died July 7 at UAB Hospital. He had been hospitalized since he was shot multiple times on May 27.

As a musician, Sills was known as Li Heat, and had more than 38,000 subscribers on YouTube. One of his music videos – 007 – garnered 6.3 million views.

At least 60 people gathered in George Ward Park to release balloons in honor of Sills.

“His music will live on. He will live on through us,’’ said Sills’ uncle, Marcus Gurley.

“I’m very proud of my nephew,’’ Gurley said. “He went for his dream and look at all these people here.”

Sills was shot about 5:15 p.m. that Saturday in the 1500 block of Avenue L.

Police said Sills was walking when multiple suspects approached him and opened fire on him. More than 20 shots were fired.

“Based on the evidence, we do believe the victim was targeted,” Officer Truman Fitzgerald said at the time of the shooting.

Sills was taken to UAB Hospital where he remained until his death.

Sills was also wounded in a shooting last year that killed his friend, 21-year-old Maleyk Bryant.

In that 2022 shooting, West Precinct officers responded just before midnight to a report of person shot in the 1300 block of 34th Street. They arrived on the scene to find that a small sedan had wrecked into a parked vehicle.

Inside, they found Bryant unresponsive in the front seat. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service at 12:17 a.m.

Sills was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police determined that more than 40 shots had been fired which was also determined to be a targeted attack.

No arrests have been announced in either of the shootings.

Sills older brother, Lamarcus Sills, described his brother as fun, outgoing, popular, and humble. He said they were very close.

“He was like my twin,’’ he said.

Gurley said his nephew was well loved and will be missed.

“We appreciate his 21 years of life,’’ Gurley said. “We’ve got to stop this senseless violence. Too many lives are being taken.”

Sills’ funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Christian Ministries in southwest Birmingham.

Anyone with information in Sills’ slaying is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.