Alex Arger
Previous Reporting
Internet rapper Lil Tay dead at 14, statement on her Instagram says
The viral internet sensation who called herself the "youngest flexer of the century" is dead at 14, according to an Instagram post.
LEARN MOREPosted: 2:43 p.m. EDT Aug 10, 2023
Teenage rapper and internet sensation Lil Tay is reportedly alive — not dead, as a post on her Instagram said just a day prior.
The post Wednesday, which has since been taken down, claimed 14-year-old Lil Tay and her brother, Jason Tian, had unexpectedly passed away and that both deaths were under investigation.
But on Thursday, a statement provided to TMZ from the social media personality's family said her Instagram account had been hacked to spread "jarring misinformation" and rumors about both deaths.
"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 statement to TMZ says. "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."
Lil Tay told TMZ she has since regained control of her account, but she has yet to post an update about the reported deaths.
The influencer also told the publication that reports misnamed her, and clarified that her legal name is Tay Tian, not Claire Hope, the name used in the post and repeated in publications.
Hope is Lil Tay's father Chris' last name.
When Lil Tay disappeared from the internet in 2018 shortly after her arrival, she was reportedly the subject of a custody battle between her mother and Hope, who wanted the girl to move back to his home in Canada.
At the time, Lil Tay claimed she was "in a bad situation" with her father, a claim echoed by her then 16-year-old brother Jason Tian, who was said to be the mastermind behind her account. Hope denied the abuse and claimed that whoever was running her Instagram account had been making false allegations.
Shortly after the post announced Lil Tay's reported death Wednesday, her father declined to comment on her death. Authorities from Los Angeles and Vancouver also couldn't confirm her passing.
