Lil Tay is reportedly alive and says her Instagram was hacked

An aspiring Canadian rapper and internet personality is apparently still alive and claims the Instagram post announcing her death Wednesday was the result of a hack.

Lil Tay spoke to entertainment outlet TMZ for an interview Thursday and clarified some things about her supposed death that had the internet buzzing.

“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,” she told TMZ. “It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.”

Daily Hive has reached out to Meta to confirm whether her account was hacked and then restored.

Lil Tay also said the third party who compromised her account got her name wrong. She says her legal name is not Claire Hope, but Tay Tian — the same surname as her mother, Qi (Angela) Tian, and her brother Jason Tian.

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Lil Tay’s mother and brother lived in Burnaby, BC, from at least 2014 to 2022, according to civil court records about a motor vehicle collision where Jason and Angela were struck by another car. Land title documents also indicate Lil Tay’s mother still owns a home in Burnaby.

Journalists around the continent looked for confirmation of Lil Tay’s death Wednesday, but none could be found.

Daily Hive asked Burnaby RCMP about it Wednesday and the force said it was aware of the death announcement online but that officers “do not have a current investigation in relation to this matter.”

The BC Coroner’s Service didn’t return Daily Hive’s request for comment, and the Vancouver Police Department and Integrated Homicide Investigation Team also didn’t have open investigations.

An Instagram account for Angela Tian indicates she’s located in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Police Department told Daily Hive it’d received numerous calls about Lil Tay but that they couldn’t divulge any information without a corresponding address.

Questions were also raised when Harry Tsang, Lil Tay’s former manager, released a statement saying he didn’t know if the death announcement post was accurate — and advised people to be patient and not jump to conclusions.

“Given the complexities of the current circumstances, I am at a point where I cannot definitively confirm or dismiss the legitimacy of the statement issued by the family,” Tsang said. “This situation calls for cautious consideration and respect for the sensitivities involved.”

Daily Hive has reached out to Lil Tay for comment.

The teen gained notoriety after posting videos online, claiming her “toilet costs more than your rent” and fanning stacks of cash alongside foreign cars.

Her mother used to work for Pacific Evergreen Realty Ltd., but left the firm and was involved in a $1,200 legal dispute where it’s claimed Angela acted inappropriately during an open house — where it’s believed one of Lil Tay’s music videos was filmed.

With files from Daily Hive’s Imaan Sheikh, Claire Fenton, and Amir Ali