Lil Tay, the brash child internet star, has reportedly died at the age of 15

Geoff Weiss
Updated ·2 min read
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  • A statement on Lil Tay's Instagram page said the braggadocious influencer, who's now 15, had passed away.

  • Her brother had passed away too, per the statement, and both deaths are apparently "under investigation."

  • Lil Tay rose to fame in 2017, though her career went largely dormant amid a vicious family fissure.

The internet star Lil Tay, whose real name is Claire Hope, has passed away, according to an anonymous statement on her official Instagram page on Tuesday.

The statement called the internet star's death "sudden and tragic" and "entirely unexpected." The statement said that her brother, Jason Tian, had also died. Both cases are apparently under investigation, the statement read.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing," the Instagram message said. "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."

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A post shared by Lil Tay (@liltay)

"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."

Lil Tay became famous in 2017 for her brash onscreen persona, with curse-laden monologues boasting about mansions, cars, and bundles of cash. In 2018, she disappeared from the internet after a video leaked with a voice behind the camera feeding her lines, which people speculated to be her brother.

Insider reported that a battle then ensued for the future of her career, with her manager (Harry Tsang), father (Christopher Hope), and promoter (Chris Jones) on one side, and her mother (Angela Tian) and brother on the other.

In 2021, Tay's Instagram account became active after years of dormancy when posts, seemingly from her brother, accused their father of physical and mental abuse, and stealing all of Tay's money. Hope denied these allegations with a cease and desist order to Instagram at the time.

Insider has reached out to Tay's family and Tsang for comment.

Read the original article on Insider