Courtesy of Lil Tay/Instagram
Rapper Lil Tay Confirms She Is ‘Safe and Alive’ After False Death Announcement: Report
Rapper and social media influencer Lil Tay is not dead, according to a family statement released one day after an Instagram post from her account claimed she had died.
“I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say,” the 14-year-old influencer told TMZ in a statement on Thursday, August 10. “It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess. My Instagram account was compromised by a third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope.’
Lil Tay’s management team did not immediately respond to In Touch’s request for comment.
The original Instagram announcement that was posted on Wednesday, August 9, has been removed. That day, a post from the teenager’s account — claiming to be from her family — alleged that she had died.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the announcement read. “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.”
The statement also added that Lil Tay’s brother, Jason Tian, had died, as it read, “Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation.”
Lil Tay is famous for her viral social media content. She had also called herself “the youngest flexer of the century” while growing her fan base at just 9 years old in 2017. On Instagram, the young influencer has garner over 3 million followers at the time of publication.
Shortly after the reportedly faulty post was uploaded, fans noticed that her father, Christopher Hope, reportedly declined to comment. Lil Tay’s mother, Angela Tian, was not publicly requested for comment.
Lil Tay is famous for her viral social media content. She had also called herself “the youngest flexer of the century” while growing her fan base at just 9 years old in 2017. On Instagram, the young influencer has garnered over 3 million followers at the time of publication.
Christopher and Angela have reportedly been in a custody battle over Lil Tay and Jason since 2018. Previously, Christopher spoke out about his daughter’s social media career as she rose to fame that year.
“When my daughter’s social media began to go viral this year, I disagreed with most of the social media activity,” the father of two said that year. “I took legal steps to stop things which I felt were dangerous to her physical and mental health and to her future. I do not think a 10-year-old girl should be put in those situations and made to drop out of school so that she can make money for other people. Everyone else involved in this situation is motivated by money and the possibility of making money off of my daughter. … I am not fighting about money; I am fighting for my daughter, for her happiness, and her future.”
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