'I'm alive!' Young rapper Lil Tay (14) reappears after being declared dead

It was a shocking and mysterious statement on Wednesday, August 10. Canadian rapper Lil Tay's Instagram account announced that the 14-year-old star had died. The post looked legitimate, but as it turns out, it was not. She's very much alive and devastated by the incident.

Image: Good Morning America / ABC

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire's sudden and tragic passing," the post began. It also said that "Claire's" older brother had died and that everything was under investigation. A shocking and bizarre message that caused a lot of confusion.

Image: Instagram @liltay

Shortly after, Business Insider reported that Lil Tay's father and manager were contacted and said they could neither confirm nor deny the rapper's death. It was strange to learn that people close to her didn't know about the news.

Image: Good Morning America / ABC

Business Insider also reported that Los Angeles police were not investigating the disappearance of Lil Tay, who's named Claire Hope in daily life.

Image: Instagram @liltay

At the end of a confusing day, Lil Tay sent a statement to TMZ, saying that both she and her brother, Jason Tian, were alive and that her Instagram profile had been hacked.

Image: Zach Sang Show Clips / Youtube

"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," the rapper told TMZ.

Image: Instagram @liltay

Furthermore, the young woman said that her real name was Tay Tian, not Claire. It's yet another chapter in the strange story of a torn-up family and their influencer daughter.

Image: Zach Sang Show Clips / Youtube

Lil Tay is the daughter of divorced parents. While her father, Christopher Hope, lived in Vancouver, Canada, her mother, Angela Tian, and Lil moved to Los Angeles so that Lil could follow her artistic dream.

Image: Good Morning America / ABC

Lil Tay had become famous on social media at the age of 9 when she published videos in which she sang rap, used profanities, and boasted a lot of money.

Image: Instagram @liltay

In her videos, Lil Tay also drove luxury cars such as Rolls-Royces and Ferraris, despite not having a driver's license. She raps about this in one of her songs.

Image: Instagram @liltay

In fact, at that time, many criticized such exposure and accused their parents of making money at her expense.

Image: Instagram @liltay

In an interview on 'Good Morning America' in 2018, Lil Tay and her mother claimed that the rumors were not true. "Nobody is forcing me," she said.

Image: Good Morning America/ABC

Despite her foul-mouthed image, the rapper was described by her mother in 'Good Morning America' as "a well-mannered and great child."

Image: Instagram @liltay

Lil Tay's mother is a realtor, who actually used some of the luxury homes she was selling to provide settings for her daughter's videos.

Image: Good Morning America / ABC

Lil Tay's Instagram profile has more than 3.4 million followers. However, the girl didn't post anything on it. She stopped doing so in 2018 when her parents' custody battle over the teen had come to a high point.

Image: Youtube

When the posting on Instagram stopped, Lil Tay reportedly moved back to her father's house in Canada. He and his ex-wife had fought over custody of the girl for a long time.

Now, years after her last post, suddenly a false statement appeared about her supposed death. The young star says the account was hacked and that she and her brother are in good shape.