Lil Tay’s vocally opulent lifestyle and ostentatious display of wealth always made her controversial. Then again, the 14-year-old Canadian rapper and social media influencer achieved a whole new level of controversy when she was expectedly declared dead on August 9.
The tragic news sent shockwaves throughout the internet with everyone — fans and detractors alike — coming together to share their condolences. Controversial or not, everyone’s life deserves to be recognized and the death of someone so young is inherently tragic.
But then, in a bizarre turn of events that somehow seem befitting of Lil Tay’s brand, the adolescent influencer was pronounced alive just 24 hours later by none other than herself. What on earth is going on?
The tragic day Lil Tay and her brother were pronounced dead
On August 9, a formal statement from Lil Tay’s Instagram account announced that she and her brother Jason Tian had died. The statement, which referred to Lil Tay by her alleged legal name Claire Hope, did not clarify how or when she died.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the statement read. “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock. Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief.”
Lil Tay’s untimely passing seized hold of the internet’s collective conversation, but then, just as we were grappling with the news and on the lookout for additional information, the Vancouver Police Department announced that it was not investigating Lil Tay or Jason Tian’s deaths. What’s more, it had no record of their death on file.
Muddling matters further, when Lil Tay’s former manager Henry Tsang — who was in communication with Lil Tay’s family — was asked to provide insight on the matter, he said he could not “definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family.”
Just a hoax: Lil Tay’s shocking revival and claims that her social media was hacked
In case the situation wasn’t already mind-numbingly perplexing as is, it was thrown into even greater relief when Lil Tay came forward the next day to announce she was still alive. In a statement provided to TMZ by her family, Lil Tay said, “I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive.”
According to Lil Tay, her Instagram account was “compromised by a 3rd party,” although why it took over 24 hours for the young rapper or her family to clarify the misunderstanding was not addressed.
“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’.”
Lil Tay expressed feeling “heartbroken” by the ordeal, calling it “traumatizing” after she had to field phone calls all day from heartbroken loved ones.
“…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.”
The initial Instagram post was swiftly deleted and Lil Tay went from being a controversial adolescent influencer who passed away to a controversial adolescent influencer who passed away and then came back to life.
Needless to say, Lil Tay’s falsely announced death will go down on record as one of the most, if not the most controversial thing that has happened in her life.