Editor’s note: Lil Tay clarified on Thursday that her Instagram account was compromised and both she and her brother are actually alive.
An Instagram post shared Wednesday announced that internet sensation Lil Tay had died at age 14. However, her dad refuses to confirm or deny her passing to outlets.
“Yeah, you have the right person, but I don’t have any comment right now,” Christopher Hope told The Post during a brief phone call. “I’m not able to give you any comment right now. I’m sorry — I can’t.”
His comment came after Tay’s social media account shared an obit for the teen, whose real name is Claire Hope, after being inactive for over four years.
“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 post began before revealing that her brother, Jason Tian, had also died, adding “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.”
While the announcement of their deaths came from Tay’s verified Instagram account, her alleged ex-manager has also refused to confirm the news.
“I have been in communication with individuals who have an intimate understanding of the family’s situation,” Henry Tsang told the US Sun on Wednesday.
“Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family.”
Tsang added that the situation called for “cautious consideration” and “accuracy.”
“I encourage everyone to rely on reputable and official sources for information. We must exercise patience while awaiting further developments before drawing any conclusions,” he said.
Further details surrounding Tay’s death are also unclear, including whether she was in Los Angeles, where she had at one point resided with her mother, or in Vancouver, Canada, with her father.
A spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department told The Post, “We haven’t gotten any reports of either death here. As of now, we are not aware and are not investigating.”
The Post was unsuccessful in reaching her mom, Angela Tian, and Los Angeles authorities.
Lil Tay first rose to fame in March 2018 when she was just 9 years old. She was mainly known for her scripted fights and videos where she threw stacks of cash and flaunted exotic cars.
However, shortly after, she disappeared from social media. At the time, she claimed in an interview with the Daily Beast that she and her mother had to move to Vancouver to be with her father due to a “court order.”
She claimed that “he was threatening to arrest — to have my mom arrested if we didn’t go back.”
She claimed he was an absentee father after she hadn’t seen him “for multiple years,” alleging that “it’s obvious he just came back because he wants money.”
But a spokesperson for her father denied the allegations.
“There are only three things he wants to see,” the rep, Charles Wong, responded. “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.”
Lil Tay’s Instagram account later posted allegations of abuse against her father and his second wife, Hanee Hope. Again, her father denied the claims and insisted her account must have been hacked.
“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 in October 2018.
In 2021, Jason claimed in a GoFund Me that his sister had been “physically and mentally abused” while living with her father and his wife.
