‘It’s been traumatising’: A timeline of events surrounding the Lil Tay death hoax

‘I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive’

9 months ago

On Wednesday 9th August, a statement was posted to viral star Lil Tay’s Instagram account, claiming that she and her brother had died. Tributes began to pour into the comment section, people began sharing viral videos of Lil Tay from 2017, in pure disbelief over the news. But it wasn’t true. Lil Tay and her brother, Jason, are alive. How did this happen? Here’s a timeline of the events surrounding the death hoax about Lil Tay and her brother.

Wednesday 9th August

via ABC

Lil Tay, who rose to fame in 2017 for her videos waving fistfuls of cash around luxury cars and yelling expletives, had reportedly died on Wednesday 9th August according to a statement posted to her Instagram account.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the statement read. “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.”

“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.”

Lil Tay’s followers grew skeptical of the news, due to the statement being unsigned and her Instagram being dormant since 2018. YouTuber Keemstar was one of the many public figures to express their doubts about the statement.

Following the news Lil Tay’s father, Christopher Hope, wouldn’t confirm whether or not the news of her reported death was true and declined to comment to outlets. Police officials in Los Angeles and Vancouver, two locations where the internet sensation had been known to live, said they had no records of any deaths.

Later Wednesday evening, TMZ removed its initial article stating Lil Tay and died and later claimed she was alive.

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A post shared by Lil Tay (@liltay)

Thursday 10th August

On Thursday 10th August, TMZ claimed Lil Tay wasn’t dead and had reportedly received a statement from her via her family.

In the statement, the viral star 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. 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 internet star went on to say her Instagram account had been hacked and her account was “used to spread jarring misinformations and rumours”. She noted that her name on the statement was wrong, telling TMZ her legal name is Tay Tian, not Claire Hope.

The Instagram photo of the statement has since been deleted from Lil Tay’s Instagram account.

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