Viral Star Lil Tay Reportedly Dead At 14: ‘We Have No Words’

Viral rapper Lil Tay, born Claire Hope, has reportedly passed away.

On Wednesday afternoon, the viral star’s family posted a statement on Instagram announcing that the social media sensation had passed away shortly after the death of her brother.

On Wednesday, August 9, Lil Tay’s family took to social media to announce the death of Claire Hope, who was best known to the world as Lil Tay. “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,” they wrote on Instagram. “This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.”

“Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief,” they continued, revealing that 21-year-old Jason Tian had also passed away. “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.”

They concluded their statement, writing, “Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.” Many of her fans took to the comments to write “RIP” and express shock at her sudden passing. “I hope the truth comes to light,” one fan wrote.

UPDATE: Although some users doubted the validity of the statement, her management team told Us Weekly, “With profound regret, we confirm the accuracy of the statement.” At this time, no cause of death has been revealed.

Lil Tay was originally born in Canada but later moved to Los Angeles. She went viral on YouTube and social media after she started posting videos in 2017, when she was only age nine, according to the Daily Mail. Unfortunately, she was not known for wholesome content. Instead, her videos provoked a great deal of controversy.

Many of her videos showed her cursing, insulting people she walked by on the street, flaunting large stacks of money, and even starting fights. However, she gained more than 3.3 million Instagram followers for her videos and was quickly thought to be a rising star in the age of social media.

However, she went quiet on social media over the past few years. Her last Instagram post contained three slides dedicated to the death of the rapper XXXTentacion following his death in June 2018. In the caption of her Instagram post, Lil Tay described the rapper as “a father figure when I didn’t have one.”

“X you truly changed me. You were there for me when everyone wanted me to fail, you were there to give me advice, you were there. As a father figure, when I don’t have one, you were here, FaceTiming me and calling me for hours when I’m down, 3 hours ago you announced the Charity event we were going to throw, we had everything setup, I can’t believe this, the evil in the world, This isn’t good Bye. I Love you Bro.”

Not everyone was a fan of the minor’s videos. In one video, Lil Tay can be seen driving a white car through a parking garage. A dog wearing sunglasses is sitting in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle. She then gets out of the car and approaches the camera, wearing a red jacket and plenty of bling.

“All those grown a** men hating on a nine-year-old. I ain’t got no license,” she yells into the camera. “B*tch, you don’t even have a car. I ain’t got no license. I be driving this around.” She went on to say that she doesn’t “rent” her cars. “If you think I rent my cars, you think I be doing this?” she asks as she proceeds to kick the driver’s side of the door several times with her sneakers.

She ends the post saying, “Lil Tay rich and finna get richer.” Many fans showered the post with messages of “RIP.”