Lil Tay is ‘alive’, debunks death rumors

LOS ANGELES: The young Canadian internet rapper Lil Tay was confirmed to be alive, dismissing earlier rumors of her demise.

According to the international media, rumors surrounding her death had escalated after an Instagram post on August 9, but TMZ reported that her family issued a statement confirming her well-being.

The family statement reads: “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.”

As per the media reports, the original post announcing her death, which has since been deleted, had also mentioned her brother’s demise. It had caused skepticism among netizens as there was no confirmation from her father and former manager, Henry Tsang.

Meanwhile, Tsang conveyed to the Daily Beast that due to the complexities of the situation, he couldn’t confirm or dismiss the authenticity of the family’s statement regarding Tay’s death.

Read More: Teen internet rapper “Lil Tay” dies, leaving fans in mourning

The reports said that various police departments, approached by the media, were clueless regarding the rapper’s demise. The Vancouver Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department both said that they had no information regarding an investigation into the death of anyone named ‘Claire Hope’, as mentioned in the original post.

Lil Tay, on Friday, clarified in her statement, “My Instagram account was compromised by a third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong.” The statement also revealed that her actual legal name was Tay Tian, not Claire Hope, as previously reported.

Tay, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, garnered public attention at the age of nine in 2018 through viral videos. She was seen using explicit language and displaying expensive items.

Her brief yet strong online presence fetched her over 3 million Instagram followers, though her posts were infrequent. Her last post in June 2018 was a tribute to the late rapper XXXTentacion, whom she referred to as a “father figure.”

In 2019, Lil Tay, along with her mother, gave an interview to the Daily Beast. This came a year after Instagram posts hinted at “bad news about Tay.”

During her interview, she discussed her challenging relationship with her father, a custody battle, her move to Vancouver to live with her dad, and her experience of being homeschooled.