Update, 10 August 2023: The family of Lil Tay have now issued a statement saying that she and her brother are alive and well.
Mystery surrounds reports of the “death” of Canadian teenager Lil Tay, after a statement shared to the influencer and rapper’s social media accounts was thrown into question.
On Wednesday (9 August), a statement was shared to her more than three million followers that described her “sudden and tragic passing”. It also claimed that her 21-year-old brother had “passed”, but offered no explanation about how or when his “death” occurred. However, her former manager has called for “cautious consideration” of the validity of the statement, and her father Christian Hope told Insider he could not comment on the post and declined to confirm that his daughter had died.
A mysterious Instagram post has also emerged claiming that both Lil Tay and her brother, Jason Tian, are “not dead”. The post, shared under the account name @termanii.__, was shared on Thursday morning (10 August), and claims that she has been revoked access to her official Instagram account.
Lil Tay, real name Claire Hope, rose to fame on Instagram and YouTube in 2017, when she was said to be just nine years old. Her viral fame centred around videos of her rapping and depicting a lavish lifestyle filled with luxury cars and homes, with Lil Tay once referring to herself as “the youngest flexer of the century”.
The statement announcing her alleged death remains on her official Instagram account. It reads: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.
“Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief,” the statement continues.
“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.
“Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”
However, Insider reported that the Los Angeles Police Department and the county medical examiner did not have any information on an investigation into the death of anyone named Claire Hope.
The police department in Vancouver, where the family was believed to be living, also said that it was “not aware” of death reports for the influencer or her brother.
“As of now, we are not aware and are not investigating,” the department said in a statement to The Independent.
Lil Tay’s time in the spotlight has often been marred by controversy, with the young social media star involved in a number of high-profile feuds, including with YouTuber RiceGum and fellow influencer Bhad Bhabie.
There have also been many who have questioned her social media usage considering her age, with some fans expressing concerns that Lil Tay was being coached to make content by her family.
In 2018, Tay, who was reported to be nine at the time, addressed the speculation during an appearance on Good Morning America, where she denied that her family was “forcing” her into online fame.
“No one is forcing me to do this,” Tay said during the interview, where she was joined by her mother, Angela Tian. “That’s not true that she wants to make money off of me.”
Tay also denied suggestions that her mother was the one running her popular Instagram account. “My mom doesn’t run social media. I use my own Instagram,” she said.
She added: “This is my decision, I’m happy with what I’m doing.”
The confusion surrounding Lil Tay’s “death” comes after the influencer took a five-year hiatus from social media. The most recent post on her Instagram is from 2018, and includes a tribute to XXXTentacion following his death. “X you truly changed me,” she’d written in the caption of the post, which included what appeared to be a screenshot of the pair on FaceTime. “You were there for me when everyone wanted me to fail, you were there to give me advice, you were there.”
The influencer was also said to be publicly embroiled in a custody battle between her mother and her father, which extended to her social media accounts, according to Variety. The outlet notes that Lil Tay’s Instagram was wiped clean in 2018, and that the words “help me” were posted to her Instagram Story.
During a 2018 phone interview withThe Daily Beast alongside her mother, Lil Tay said: “Right now I’m in a bad situation and I don’t want to talk about these things.” The influencer also said that her father had “filed something to the court and the court ordered us to go back here, and he said that I was in danger and stuff” and that her father was “threatening to have [her] mom arrested if we didn’t go back”.
In a 2019 article published byThe Cut, the outlet suggested that Lil Tay’s Instagram, and internet persona, was actually managed by her brother. The outlet also reports that the influencer’s father got a court order requiring his daughter to return to Vancouver and her Instagram be shut down.
On Wednesday, Harry Tsang, who “played a temporary management role” for Lil Tay early on in her career, but “never signed any contracts”, according to The Cut, told The Daily Beast that he was unable to “definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement” shared on her social media account.
“I have been in communication with individuals who have an intimate understanding of the family’s situation,” Tsang said in a statement to the outlet. “Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family.”
The Independent has contacted a representative for Claire Hope, Christopher Hope and Harry Tsang for comment.
This article was amended on 10 August 2023 to reflect the new post on Instagram account @termanii.__, stating that Lil Tay had not died.
