Meta helped influencer and rapper Lil Tay get her Instagram account back just days after someone used her official verified page to say she and her brother died “unexpectedly”.
The controversial 14-year-old online star – who rose to fame aged nine after starring in a series of vulgar rap-style videos – spoke out on Thursday to end claims he had died.
She and her older brother Jason Tian are believed to have died after a statement was shared on her Instagram page on Wednesday, August 9.
It took over 24 hours for Lil Tay to finally speak out and she claimed her account was “hacked”.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed TMZ she couldn’t access her Instagram account and the company helped her get it back.
Meta helped influencer and rapper Lil Tay get her Instagram account back just days after someone used her official verified page to say she and her brother died ‘unexpectedly’
She and her older brother Jason Tian are believed to have died after a statement was shared on her Instagram page on Wednesday, August 9.
It took 24 hours for Lil Tay to speak out and claim his account was “hacked”. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that she was unable to access her Instagram account, it helped her recover it
Lil Tay released a statement Thursday to say she was alive, a day after the false death announcement was published.
“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,” Lil Tay – who was born Claire Hope but has now confirmed its name legality is Tay Tian said.
“It was a very traumatic 24 hours. All day yesterday I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones while trying to sort out this mess.
The teenager – who made headlines in 2018 when she claimed she was abused by her father Christopher Hope and exploited by her brother – neglected to reveal why it took her more than 24 hours to confirm she is quite alive.
Speaking about the post that sparked the death rumours, Lil Tay insisted his Instagram account “was compromised by a third party” and “used to spread misinformation and discordant rumours” about him.
The young star also confirmed that she had access to her account again and thanked Meta.
A spokesperson for the tech company has now confirmed that they helped her recover her account.
Lil Tay went on to reveal that she no longer goes by her birth name, Claire Hope, which was the nickname used in the now-deleted bogus death announcement, explaining that she now goes by the legal name of Tay Tian, having apparently abandoned her. father’s surname in favor of his mother, Angela.
After news of Lil Tay’s death was posted on Instagram – previously inactive since June 2018 – the influencer gained over 200,000 new followers.
The fake death post, which has since been deleted, read: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the sudden and tragic passing of our beloved Claire.
“We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This result was completely unexpected and left us all in shock. The passing of his brother adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief.
“During this time of immense grief, we kindly ask for privacy as we mourn this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Claire and her brother are still under investigation.”
The controversial 14-year-old online star – who rose to fame aged nine after starring in a series of vulgar rap-style videos – spoke out on Thursday to end claims he had died
Lil Tay released a statement on Thursday to say she was alive, a day after the false death announcement was published
He concluded: “Claire will forever be in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”
Following the publication of the message, several news outlets around the world reported on Lil Tay’s death – which was quickly shrouded in grim mystery when his own father said he was unable to confirm whether she was alive or dead.
Meanwhile, local authorities in Vancouver, where Christopher lives, and Los Angeles, where Lil Tay lived with his mother, had no record of an investigation into the deaths of Claire or her brother Jason when they been contacted by DailyMail.com.
An LAPD officer noted that the lack of documentation relating to Lil Tay and his brother suggests that “they are not, in fact, dead or that (their deaths) did not occur in Los Angeles.”
“We have no information on whether or not either of these two individuals, Claire Hope or Jason Tian, died in Los Angeles,” he said.
“If the Los Angeles County medical examiners don’t have anything on them either, that would lead me to believe that they weren’t, in fact, dead, or that it didn’t happen in Los Angeles. “
Lil Tay’s former manager Harry Tsang added further confusion when he released a cryptic statement on the news, refusing to “confirm” that the rapper was in fact deceased.
He accused her of lying about his Instagram account being hacked and alleged that she herself orchestrated a false claim about his death.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, her former manager Tsang – who was the last known public spokesperson for Lil Tay and her family when she was at the height of her fame in 2018 – cast doubt on the likelihood of the young person’s statement is completely truthful.
“Hearing Lil Tay’s affirmation of her well-being, I find relief in the fact that she is safe. However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have taken place,’ Tsang said in a written statement.
He then raised two points of doubt about the validity of Lil Tay’s explanation, the first of which concerns the speed at which she claims her Instagram account was restored to her after the alleged hack.
“My rationale for this perspective is twofold: First, restoring a compromised account on platforms such as Meta/Instagram generally does not require a 24-hour timeframe,” he explained.
Tsang then drew attention to Lil Tay’s brother Jason – who was accused of exploiting his younger sibling in 2018, when a video emerged of him appearing to ‘coach’ her on what to do say in front of the camera.
News of Lil Tay’s supposed death became shrouded in serious mystery on Wednesday afternoon when her own father, Christopher Hope, said he couldn’t confirm if she was alive.
Then: Lil Tay during a 2018 appearance on Good Morning America alongside his mother Angela
Lil Tay’s former manager Harry Tsang accused her of lying about his Instagram account being hacked
“Second, the actions of Lil Tay’s brother, notorious for his propensity for extreme measures, leads me to hypothesize an alternate motive behind this event,” Tay’s former manager continued.
“At the same time, if the underlying motive is indeed to revive Lil Tay’s notoriety in the public sphere, I submit that such actions demonstrate a degree of irresponsibility.”
“It is essential to consider the potential repercussions of using such tactics, particularly given their potential impact on the perceptions and feelings of a wider audience,” Tsang added.
Lil Tay rocketed into the limelight in 2017, after she began posting a series of controversial and bizarre videos online, which showed her using the N-word and getting into fights with strangers.
She quickly racked up millions of subscribers – but her bizarre clips have left some people across the web worried for her well-being.
Soon rumors began circulating that his family was forcing him to participate in the videos, which were only fueled when footage apparently showed his then 16-year-old brother Jason coaching him on what he had to say have made their way. around the web.
Lil Tay sparked more concern in July 2018, when she posted a chilling message asking her Instagram Stories for help, only to suddenly delete all of her videos hours later.
Four months later, an anonymous person began sharing heartbreaking posts on her account in which she claimed her ‘abusive’ father, Chris Hope, was trying to keep her away from her mother.
Chris denied the allegations, saying he was actually protecting her. He insisted he was trying “to stop doing things he felt were dangerous to his physical and mental health and to his future” and to separate her from people who were motivated by “the possibility of making money with She”.
Then, three years later, his brother issued a desperate plea for help via a GoFundMe page, in which he claimed that Lil Tay was “fighting for his life, his future and his freedom” after being “physically and mentally ” abused by his “absent”. father, who wanted to “take control” of her and her income.
He alleged Chris stole millions of dollars from his sister, took control of her career, forced her into silence and was now trying to get full custody of her.
