LOS ANGELES — Online users are accusing Canadian-born rapper and social media personality Lil Tay of pulling a "publicity stunt" after the 14-year-old revealed on Thursday (Aug 10) that she is still alive, refuting an earlier post to the teen’s verified Instagram account that claimed she was dead.

Lil Tay — whose legal name is Tay Tian — said that her Instagram account had been “compromised by a third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumours” about her, in a statement provided to American entertainment news outlet TMZ.

The original post announcing her death, which was shared on Wednesday, has since been removed. The post also claimed that her brother Jason Tian, 22, had died and that both their deaths were under investigation.

“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,” Lil Tay told TMZ.

“All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.”

WHO IS LIL TAY?

Lil Tay shot to fame in 2018 at the tender age of nine by imitating so-called gangster rappers and flaunting her extravagant lifestyle.

The self-proclaimed “youngest flexer” amassed millions of followers with expletive-laden rants and videos of her flashing wads of cash, travelling in fancy cars and giving luxury home tours.

The native of Canada moved to Los Angeles in the United States that same year to pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry.

She said on television programme Good Morning America in May 2018: “People think it's funny, I guess, because I'm nine years old and I've accomplished so much.

"I can do anything I like. If they don’t believe me, I don't care.”

She also slammed critics who claimed that she was being exploited by her family: “No one is forcing me to do this. This is my decision. I am happy with what I am doing.”

The social media sensation, however, went silent a few months later.

THE DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT 

Wednesday’s statement on Lil Tay’s death took many of the young influencer’s 3.5 million Instagram followers by surprise as the teen had not been active on the platform in five years.

Lil Tay's last post before the deleted statement was a tribute to the late rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed in Florida in the US on June 18, 2018.

The death announcement about her read: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.” 

Lil Tay’s birth name is Claire Eileen Qi Hope.

Alleging that Lil Tay's brother Jason had also died, the post did not state, though, where or when they died.

“Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief," the statement continued. 

“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. Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an indescribable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”

Questions about the validity of the Instagram post were fuelled even further after Lil Tay’s father Chris Hope declined to comment on reports that his daughter and her brother had died.

Both the police in Vancouver, Canada and in Los Angeles also reportedly stated that they were not investigating and had not been alerted to the alleged deaths. 

FANS CLAIM DEATH HOAX A ‘PUBLICITY STUNT’

Following the controversy surrounding Lil Tay’s death hoax, keywords such as "Lil Tay death" and "Lil Tay brother" became the most searched terms on Google Singapore. Online interest in her has also spiked since Thursday.

Many people, including the rapper's former manager Harry Tsang, have dismissed the fake death announcement as a “publicity stunt” by Lil Tay and her family to “stay relevant”. 

In an interview with Britain's Daily Mail, Mr Tsang, who was the spokesperson for Lil Tay and her family during the height of her success in 2018, expressed scepticism over the veracity of his former client's statement.

"Upon learning about Lil Tay's assertion of her well-being, I find relief in the fact that she is safe. However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred," he said.

Mr Tsang found the timeline presented by Lil Tay for the restoration of her Instagram account after the alleged hacking to be suspicious. 

"Secondly, the actions of Lil Tay's brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesise an alternative motive behind this occurrence," he added.

Echoing Mr Tsang's sentiments, a user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “I’m glad she’s okay, but I am not buying the ‘hacked’ story for a second.”

Others admitted that Lil Tay’s alleged attempt at gaining attention had worked.

One person wrote: “Not gonna lie, I'd never heard of her before this. So her PR (public relations) stunt worked.”

Another said: “Dollars to donuts the whole thing was faked just to get her back in the news and trending. Clearly, it worked exactly as planned.”

Instagram users also flooded Lil Tay’s most recent post with comments criticising her for allegedly faking her death, while some others demanded for video proof that she is still alive.

Some social media users also claimed that the death hoax was a strategy to drum up attention for the teen’s new cryptocurrency coin.

On Friday, American news outlet The Insider reported that a cryptocurrency coin called Lil Tay had been launched on the BNB Smart Chain with a total supply of 100 coins.

Although Mr Tsang told Insider that he had begun developing a crypto coin for Lil Tay in April, he denied any connection to the one released.

“One hundred per cent not me. I gave a warning to everyone already. That is not us. We just took down the website and everything," Mr Tsang said, referring to a Lil Tay token site that he had launched earlier this year. 

Mr Tsang warned users of a potential scam involving the launched token in a post on X.