- A statement posted on Lil Tay's Instagram page on Wednesday said the influencer, 15, had died.
- But followers are questioning the post, as her death has not been confirmed by her family or authorities.
The last post that Lil Tay shared before disappearing in 2018, and before her unconfirmed purported death that many of her followers are calling a hoax, features the late controversial rapper, XXXTentacion.
Followers of the internet personality Lil Tay, real name Claire Hope, were left shocked after an Instagram post announced the 15-year-old's death on Wednesday. But they soon began questioning whether the post was a hoax when her father and former manager could not confirm whether she had died.
As Insider reported on Wednesday, the Instagram post said Lil Tay's death was "sudden and tragic," that her brother, Jason Tian, had also died, and that both cases were under investigation.
The lack of confirmation of either death has since raised questions about the claim's legitimacy.
Insider reached out to authorities in Los Angeles, Lil Tay's last known residence, and Vancouver, her place of birth, who said there were no active death investigations involving the influencer. Lil Tay's mother told Insider in 2019 that the influencer's Instagram account was previously controlled by her brother Jason, although it's unclear who currently has access.
Insider contacted Lil Tay's father, Christopher Hope, on Wednesday and asked about the recent Instagram post announcing his daughter's death. He said he could not comment on the post and declined to confirm his daughter's death. By Thursday, he could not be reached after multiple attempts. An attorney for Lil Tay told Insider Thursday that they had no comment.
The most recent post on the verified account before the announcement of Lil Tay's death, which as of Thursday had been deleted, was a tribute to controversial Florida rapper XXXTentacion, who's real name is Jahseh Onfroy. It was posted on June 18, 2018, the date the rapper was shot and killed while leaving a motorcycle shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The 2018 post featured a three-image gallery, the first of which tagged XXXTentacion's Instagram account, and appeared to show the rapper and Lil Tay on a video call.
The second and third images attached to the post appeared to show Instagram messages XXXTentacion had sent, encouraging Lil Tay to "manipulate and transmute the energy your way by doing some sort of small charity," and a screenshot of what appeared to be an Instagram story posted by XXXTentacion that read, "planning a charity event for this weekend Florida!"
The caption alongside the photos read, "X you truly changed me," beside a heart emoji, and continued, "You were there for me when everyone wanted me to fail, you were there to give me advice, you were there."
It continued, "As a father figure, when I don't have one, you were here, FaceTiming me and calling me for hours when I'm down, 3 hours ago you announced the Charity event we were going to throw, we had everything setup."
Lil Tay's father, Christopher Hope, told Insider's Jacob Shamsian in 2019 that he had been subjected to a campaign of harassment from her fans. In 2021 he was met with baseless accusations that he abused Lil Tay. At that time, he did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
The caption alongside the post ended with the words, "I can't believe this, the evil in the world, This isn't good Bye I Love you Bro."
In March 2023, three men were found guilty of fatally shooting the 20-year-old rapper, Insider previously reported.
Lil Tay rose to fame in 2015 when she was 9 years old after posting videos bragging about her purported ownership of mansions, expensive cars, and cash. Her online following and persona grew as she collaborated with fellow stars, including Jake Paul and rapper Chief Keef. However, a private battle later broke out between her family members, manager, and music promoter in a bid to control her brand.