Following reports that Lil Tay had died, the internet rapping sensation says she isn’t dead and that hacked social media led to the reports of her death.
The fake news about the child rapper and influencer’s death arrived this past Wednesday due to an Instagram post claiming to be from family members.
Monsters and Critics reported about the rapper’s alleged death. In addition, it was believed that Lil Tay’s brother had also died, based on the fake social media post.
In a message provided to TMZ by her family over a day later, Lil Tay told everyone that she and her brother are alive and well.
She called it a “very traumatizing 24 hours” due to how many people were reaching out because they thought she had passed away.
The rapper also called out the fake IG post, suggesting it was done by someone to “spread jarring misinformation and rumors.”
Lil Tay says she and her brother are ‘safe and alive’ after ‘account was compromised’
“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. 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’s statement via family said, per TMZ.
Additionally, Lil Tay claims her Instagram account was hacked, which caused the flood of fake death reports to arrive online.
“My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd 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,'” the statement said.
A since-deleted Instagram post arrived on Lil Tay’s account on Wednesday morning, claiming it was from her family about “Claire’s sudden and tragic passing.”
“We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain,” the post said, adding, “Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief.”
“Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her,” the fake social media post said.
Tay said that Meta, who owns Instagram, helped her regain control of her account, and the fake IG post about her death was deleted.
Lil Tay’s most recent IG post is about late hip-hop artist
As of this writing, there are no recent posts on Lil Tay’s Instagram page or uploaded to her IG Story. Her most recent IG post is from June 18, 2018, paying tribute to the late XXXTentacion.
The hip-hop artist, real name Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, was murdered that day in Florida after he was shot near a motorcycle dealership.
Lil Tay’s post caption praised the late rapper, mentioning how he “changed” and inspired her.
“As a father figure, when I don’t have one, you were here, FaceTiming me and calling me for hours when I’m down, 3 hours ago you announced the Charity event we were going to throw, we had everything setup, I can’t believe this, the evil in the world, This isn’t good Bye I Love you Bro,” the caption said.
Lil Tay, 14, is a Canadian rapper and influencer known for her controversial videos on social media. She gained popularity as the “World’s Youngest Flexer” by posting videos and photos of her lavish lifestyle on Instagram. As of this report, she has 3.5 million followers on the social media platform.
Good Morning America did a story about the child rapper when she was 9, examining her rise to popularity online. Lil Tay’s family appeared with her in the segment.
Upon the initial reports of her death earlier this week, many Instagram commenters reacted to the since-deleted “fake death post,” with some speculating that her family was involved.
However, the false information about her death has been refuted, with Lil Tay and her brother alive and well.