Lil Tay Is Not Dead, Says Instagram Was Hacked

Lil Tay, who was reported dead on Wednesday (Aug. 9), is still alive.

The 14-year-old rapper and viral internet personality shared in a statement to TMZ on Thursday (Aug. 10) that her Instagram account was hacked. At the time of publication, the statement announcing her death has been deleted. “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 told the publication. “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 continued, “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 news of her fake death was announced in a statement posted on Lil Tay’s Instagram account, which described her passing as “sudden and tragic” as well as “entirely unexpected. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” reads the statement posted Wednesday (Aug. 9). “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.”

The statement also revealed that her brother died too. “Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief,” it read. “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 self-labeled “youngest flexer of the century,” Lil Tay shot to fame in 2017 with controversial viral videos showing off wealth and cussing out haters.