Questions are swirling around rapper and social media personality Lil Tay a day after a post to her verified Instagram account claimed she was dead.
The 14-year-old Canadian influencer (real name Claire Eileen Qi Hope) told TMZ in a statement Thursday that she is alive, alleging that her account was compromised and used to spread “jarring misinformation” about her and her brother’s death. The original post has been removed from her account.
USA TODAY has reached out to Lil Tay’s management but has not independently confirmed that she is alive.
News of Lil Tay’s death spread Wednesday morning after the unsigned announcement, but later Wednesday, in statements to Insider, Lil Tay’s father and former manager Harry Tsang said they were unable to confirm her death.
Here’s what we know about the situation so far and why details remain unclear.
Was Lil Tay’s death falsely announced on social media?
A statement alleging Lil Tay’s death was posted to her Instagram account Wednesday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the since-deleted statement 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.”
Lil Tay’s management later confirmed her death to USA TODAY with “profound regret.” A date and cause of death for Lil Tay were not shared in the post.
The Instagram statement also alleged the influencer’s brother had died but did not name him. On Wednesday, Lil Tay told TMZ that her brother is alive.
USA TODAY has reached out to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to ask whether a hack was reported by the owner of Lil Tay’s account.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the coroner’s office in British Columbia have been contacted by USA TODAY. The LA medical examiner’s office told USA TODAY it had no information.
Why was Lil Tay’s father unable to confirm her death?
Lil Tay’s father, Christopher Hope, has not been able to provide clarity on the controversy.
Hope told Insider in a statement published Wednesday that he could not comment on the Instagram post and declined to confirm or deny his daughter’s death.
What has Lil Tay’s mother said about the death announcement?
Fraser MacLean, who represents Lil Tay’s mother Angela Tian, was unable to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the death announcement.
“Given the sensitive nature of the situation, we have no comment at this time,” MacLean told People magazine in a statement published Thursday.
What has Lil Tay’s former manager said?
In a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday, Lil Tay’s former manager Harry Tsang cast doubt on the rapper’s claim that her Instagram account was hacked.
“I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred,” said Tsang, who clarified he hasn’t been in contact with Lil Tay’s family in two years. “The restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour time frame.”
Tsang added that an “alternative motive” for the death announcement could have been to generate publicity for the influencer and gain sympathy from fans. “It is conceivable that the intention behind these events could be rooted in an endeavor to illicitly extract funds from devoted supporters and unwitting bystanders,” Tsang alleged.
Who is Lil Tay?
Lil Tay went viral in 2018 with several videos of her flashing wads of cash while seated in fancy cars and doing house tours. She self-labeled as the “youngest flexer” and went on to amass more than 3 million followers on Instagram.
“People think it’s funny, I guess, because I’m 9 years old and I’ve accomplished so much,” she said on “Good Morning America” in May 2018. “I’m the youngest flexer. I can do anything I like. If they don’t believe me, I don’t care.”
She also slammed critics who claimed she was being exploited by her family. “No one is forcing me to do this,” she said. “This is my decision. I am happy with what I am doing.”
Lil Tay’s mom Angie, who chose to only be identified by her first name, told “GMA” that despite her daughter’s profanity on social media platforms, she is “well-mannered and a great kid, well-behaved.”
The young influencer had gone silent on her Instagram feed in recent years, with the most recent photos on her account from June 2018. Aside from the death announcement, the most recent post on her account was mourning the death of another young star, rapper XXXTentacion.
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Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY
