Lil Tay’s rumored death, explained

Within 24 hours, a 14-year-old internet personality was reported dead, then alive. Here is what we know about the situation surrounding Lil Tay.

Transcript

00:00This week, it was reported that a 14-year-old internet personality had died.

00:0424 hours later, she allegedly spoke out, saying she was alive.

00:08Here is everything we know about the conflicting death report of Lil Tay.

00:11Claire Hope, more commonly known as Lil Tay, first rose to popularity in 2018 when she was 9 years old.

00:17She achieved viral fame posting rowdy videos of herself flaunting stacks of cash and luxury cars,

00:23and performing profanity-laced raps.

00:25But during the peak of her popularity, Lil Tay's Instagram and YouTube were wiped clean,

00:29and she suddenly disappeared from the internet.

00:31She briefly returned to social media to mourn the death of rapper XXXTentacion,

00:35and post a cryptic Instagram story that read,

00:38"'Help me.'"

00:38The last heard of Lil Tay was in 2020,

00:41when it was reported that her career had been stalled by a custody battle between her parents.

00:45Fast forward to August 9th, 2023, a message appeared on Lil Tay's Instagram,

00:50announcing that she and her brother had succumbed to a, quote,

00:52"'sudden and tragic passing.'"

00:54News outlets were unable to verify the death with police or family members,

00:58but many still published news of the teenager's death.

01:00The following day, however, Lil Tay reportedly spoke to TMZ,

01:04saying she and her brother are fine, and that her Instagram had been hacked.

01:08As of August 10th, the words, "'Help me.'" have appeared in her YouTube bio.

01:11Lil Tay's former manager, Harry Sang, says he, quote,

01:14"'finds relief in the confirmation of her safety,'

01:17but has some reservations regarding the authenticity of the reported hacking incident.'"