After global media outlets and million of fans shared the news of her death on Thursday, TMZ reported on Friday that the 14-year-old influencer and rapper Lil Tay was very much alive and well.
TMZ quoted the teen as saying, “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."
The Instagram post that went viral on Thursday has since been deleted.
“It’s with heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Clarie’s sudden and tragic passing. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain,” read the statement on Tay’s Instagram account with more than 3.4 million following.
The star also corrected that her official name was Tay Tian and not, as many reports claimed, Claire Hope.
Lil Tay rose to fame on Instagram and YouTube in 2017, when she turned nine. Her popularity is pegged to her videos showing her rapping and leading a lavish lifestyle filled with luxury cars and maximalist homes.
In most of her videos, she talks up her love for materialism. Even without a driver's license, she's shown admiring high-end luxury cars that young kids can only dream of travelling in.
Tay often describes herself as the “youngest flexer of the century” and proudly promotes her decadent lifestyle.
