Editor’s note: Lil Tay clarified on Thursday that her Instagram account was compromised and both she and her brother are actually alive.
Rapper Lil Tay and her brother, Jason, appear to be dead, according to a statement posted to Instagram Wednesday.
Born Claire Hope, the 14-year-old performer’s family said in a statement posted to Instagram that she died suddenly and shared that both her and her brother’s deaths are both under investigation.
“We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribably pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock,” the statement said, referencing the fact that Lil Tay hasn’t posted on social media since 2018.
“Her bother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation.”
The statement concluded, “Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”
Lil Tay rose to social media stardom in 2018 when she was just 9 years old and became known for her scripted fights and videos of her throwing large stacks of money on the ground while hopping in and out of exotic sports cars.
As quickly as she became a household name, she vanished from social media amid contracts and custody battles.
That same year, Lil Tay told The Daily Beast that she and her mother, Angela Tian, received a “court order” to move back to Vancouver from Los Angeles to be with her father.
“He was threatening to arrest — to have my mom arrested if we didn’t go back,” she said. “I didn’t see him for multiple years. He never saw me for so long, it’s obvious he just came back because he wants money.”
A spokesperson for her father, Christopher Hope, denied the allegations.
“There are only three things he wants to see,” the rep, Charles Wong, said at the time. “First, no more crazy videos of cursing from Tay. Second, 25 percent of the gross earnings going to a trust fund dedicated to Tay. The third thing is, there has to be structure in her operation, in her public image.”
After nearly three years of no activity on social media, Lil Tay’s Instagram account, which was allegedly hacked, posted allegations of abuse against her father and his second wife.
Shortly after, Tay’s father denied the allegations leveled on the social platform.
“I am heartbroken about what has happened, not only to her, but also to my other family members, due to past events and now, due to the lies and harassment that were posted on Instagram,” he told Hollywood Life.
“I don’t know if the Instagram was hacked or not; all I know is that the person or people controlling the Instagram did things that are crimes in Canada and in California, and we will see what happens with that.”
