Lil Tay: mystery surrounds reported death of teen rapper

A statement claimed the 15-year-old girl, who rose to internet fame for brash videos, had died but her father has refused to confirm or deny her death

Shock over a statement announcing the sudden death of Lil Tay, a 15-year-old internet personality and rapper who rose to viral fame as a foul-mouthed, braggadocious nine-year-old on Instagram, has given way to confusion after the girl's father and former manager refused to confirm or deny her passing.

An unsigned statement posted on Wednesday to the account for Lil Tay, real name Claire Hope, said the star's death at 15 was sudden and tragic" and entirely unexpected". It also said that her older brother Jason Tian, who at one point had been in control of her account before it went dormant in 2018, had also died, and that both deaths were under investigation.