Contrary to initial reports, Lil Tay is alive! Following the announcement that the teen rapper had died, the rapper released a statement sharing that the post was false in a statement to TMZ on Thursday, Aug. 10. The teen star admitted that the hoax came from a third party that had gained control of her Instagram account. “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,” she began her statement.
Tay revealed that over the course of the day, she had countless people reach out to her following the sad (but false) news. “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,” she said.
The fake statement about her death was removed from her Instagram account, which she said she was able to do with help from the app’s parent company Meta. She also clarified that the false death statement didn’t even get her real name right. “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,'” she said.
Before it was revealed to be a hoax, fans mourned Tay’s passing following the statement. “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 said. “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. The outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock.”
Following the initial announcement, suspicions were raised when Tay’s father and former manager would not confirm if she had died or not while speaking to Insider. Police in both Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada also told the outlet that there was no investigation into her death.