Young social media star Lil Tay has died, says post shared on official account
Update: TMZ has reported Lil Tay is alive and claims her Instagram account was hacked. More details here.
A young Canadian social media star who gained millions of followers under the name Lil Tay has died, according to a post on her official account.
The Vancouver-area teenager became a viral Instagram sensation in 2018 through posts that featured her swearing, posing with stacks of $100 bills and bragging about buying expensive sports cars – despite only being nine years old at the time.
A message posted to the Lil Tay Instagram account on Wednesday describes her death as "entirely unexpected."
"It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing," it reads. "Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her."
Tay's brother has also died, according to the post, and both deaths are under investigation.
It's unclear who posted the statement, which is not attributed, to the Lil Tay Instagram account.
CTV News has reached out to Tay's father, a former manager, the B.C. Coroners Service and several police departments across the Lower Mainland, but has been unable to corroborate the news of her death.
TikTok user Harry Tsang posted a video on Wednesday identifying himself as the "last known manager" of Tay's, and said he could not confirm the Instagram statement either.
"I have engaged in conversations with individuals who have maintained a close connection with the family, and I was told they cannot talk about the event that occurred, nor any current affair," Tsang said.
Tsang also indicated that he had conferred with his "personal psychic" on the matter.
The Lil Tay account garnered widespread attention due to Tay's foul-mouthed antics, which ultimately attracted 3.3 million followers.
"Lil Tay has copped a brand new Ferrari. Ya'll haven't seen this car in your lives, I'm out here flexing and all y'all broke-ass haters," she says in one video, which was viewed 13 million times.
"Y'all grown ass men hating on me 'cause you're broke and jealous."
One post landed Tay's mother, former real estate agent Angela Tian, in hot water after one of her clients recognized his own home being used as a backdrop for a Lil Tay video.
The Metro Vancouver property was presented as an apartment overlooking the Hollywood Hills. Tian ultimately resigned from Pacific Evergreen Realty, the company that was representing the listing.
Prior to Wednesday's announcement, the last post on the Lil Tay account was from June 2018.
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