11 August 2023 , 12:33
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Lil Tay has been accused of faking her own death after she claimed social media hackers had released a statement saying both she and her brother had died.
The teenage social media star found herself at the centre of a cruel death hoax after a statement appeared on her Instagram account claiming to be from a family member. In the now-deleted post, the family was said to have felt "unbearable sorrow" at the loss of Lil Tay and her brother.
She later shocked fans as she confirmed she is in fact still alive. Lil Tay, whose real name is Tay Tian, said her account was "compromised by a third party" and admitted the situation has left her "heartbroken". The rapper's former manager Harry Tsang, however, believes there's more to the story. He accused Lil Tay of releasing the fake statement herself.
Lil Tay has confirmed she is still alive (liltay/Instagram)
Her former manager believes she is behind the hoax (@liltay/instagram)"Upon learning about Lil Tay's assertion of her well-being, I find relief in the fact that she is safe. However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred," he said in a statement. Harry offered two reasons for why he believes Lil Tay was actually behind the death hoax. He said: "My rationale for this perspective is twofold: firstly, the restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour timeframe.
"Secondly, the actions of Lil Tay's brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternative motive behind this occurrence." Lil Tay's brother Jason has previously been accused of "coaching" his sister on what to say in her controversial videos.
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The social media star said she has been left 'heartbroken' by recent events (@liltay/instagram)
She was wrongly reported dead on Wednesday (liltay/Instagram)Harry also said he believes the hoax could have been started as a way of increasing Lil Tay's following. He added: "If the underlying motive is indeed to rekindle Lil Tay's prominence within the public sphere, I contend that such actions demonstrate a certain degree of irresponsibility. It's essential to consider the potential repercussions of employing such tactics, particularly given their potential impact on the perceptions and sentiments of the broader audience." After Lil Tay's death was first announced on Wednesday, she gained more than 200,000 new followers on Instagram.
Prior to the incident, her Instagram account had been inactive since June 2018. In a statement following the false death announcement, Lil Tay said: "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. It's been a very traumatising 24 hours."
Speaking to TMZ, she added: "All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess. My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumours regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong.
"My legal name is Tay Tian, not 'Claire Hope'." Lil Tay thanked Meta for helping her recover access to her account, and has since taken down the false statement announcing her death.