Lil Tay apparently alive, claims Instagram account was hacked
Lil Tay is allegedly alive. Photo: Instagram/liltay
Instagram child influencer Lil Tay is reportedly alive and so is her brother. On August 9, an Instagram post on Lil Tay's account announced that the 14-year-old Canadian internet sensation and her brother had suddenly passed away under mysterious circumstances, leaving the world shocked.
However, those who knew of Lil Tay's short-lived internet fame and the controversies were quick to question the veracity of the announcement, despite it being made on her official Instagram account. And turns out they were right, at least according to a statement provided to TMZ by Lil Tay's family.
What?
Lil Tay's family gave TMZ a statement where she's saying:
Lil Tay in the statement said that it was a traumatising 24 hours for her and her family when the news broke of her and her brother's 'death'. She said that she got endless calls from loved ones who were shocked to learn of the news. Now, she's reportedly trying to "sort out" the mess.
How?
According to the statement, Lil Tay says that her Instagram account was hacked.
The rumours
- It all started with an Instagram post, allegedly made to sound like an announcement from Lil Tay's family, was shared on the teen rapper's Instagram account. The post has now been deleted.
- The post also said that her brother's death has also added an "unimaginable depth" to the family's grief.
- Following the post, Lil Tay's father Christopher Hope, and her former manager Henry Tsang had both separately said they couldn't confirm or deny the announcement, further fuelling fan theories.
- Insider also reached out to the Vancouver and the Los Angeles Police Departments and found them clueless about any reports on the death of anyone named "Claire Hope", as was claimed to be her real name.
Who's Lil Tay?
- Lil Tay, whose real name is reportedly Tay Tian, is originally from Atlanta, US, and later moved to Vancouver, Canada.
- She shot to fame in 2018, aged 9 when her Instagram videos went viral due to the shock value of a child flaunting expensive cars, money, cursing, and dissing her 'haters'.
- She reportedly claimed to be the "World's Youngest Flexer". In a short span, she gained over 3 million followers and befriended controversial influencer Woah Vicky who claims to be Black.
- There's also an Instagram post on Lil Tay's account showing her collaboration with American rapper Chief Keef.
- But Lil Tay went radio silent just a few months into her Instagram career and stopped posting. Her last post was dedicated to the late rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot dead in Florida. Tay referred to him as a "father figure".
- Controversies followed the teen even after she stopped posting on Instagram. Around the time her Instagram went silent, Tay was caught in a nasty custody battle between her parents Angela Tian and Christopher Hope. Hope wanted Tay to move back with him to Vancouver.
- Lil Tay also gave an interview to Daily Beast along with her mother Angela Tian saying that her father was after her money.
- Tay said she didn't want to live with her father. She also said that the Instagram account was her and her brother's idea, while Angela Tian said she had no idea about the kind of content that her children were posting.
- Separate allegations also spoke of her mother and father physically and mentally abusing Lil Tay, but so far nothing has been confirmed.