Lil Tay’s Dad Denies Claim He Was Behind Death Hoax

Lil Tay’s father, Christopher Hope, is denying that he was responsible for the death hoax centered on the young social media star that made headlines in August.

A post to the 14-year-old rapper’s Instagram Story on Tuesday pointed the finger at Hope. “My abusive, racist, misogynist, woman-beating father faked my death,” the post reads in all caps, alongside a photo of Hope.

Hope denied the claims in a statement to TMZ, saying, “The person who is responsible for that Instagram post, as well as anyone repeating the completely false and libelous accusation within it, are virtually certain to become defendants in a defamation lawsuit.”

“Everything stated is 100% false, and I trust that this should be obvious to anyone who knows me or the long history of absurd and untrue statements made by the various people who have controlled the Instagram account,” he added.

On Aug. 9, a statement was posted to Lil Tay’s Instagram page — reportedly by her family — claiming that she and her brother, Jason Tian, had died and that the circumstances surrounding their death remained under investigation.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the now-deleted statement read. “We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. 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.”

The next day, Aug. 10, Lil Tay released a statement to TMZ saying that she was alive and her Instagram had been hacked to release the false report of her death.

In a statement provided by Tay’s family to the outlet, she said, “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 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.”

“My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong,” she continued. “My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope.'”

Following the statement denying Tay’s death, her former manager, Harry Tsang — whose current Twitter bio still refers to him as “That Asian Guy on Liltay’s Video” — gave a statement to ET saying, “I find relief in the fact that she is safe. However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred.”

“My rationale for this perspective is twofold: firstly, the restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour timeframe,” Tsang continued. “Secondly, the actions of Liltay’s brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternative motive behind this occurrence. It is conceivable that the intention behind these events could be rooted in an endeavor to illicitly extract funds from devoted supporters and unwitting bystanders.”

Instagram has since added a disclaimer to the post announcing Tay’s death, informing users that it contains “false information.”

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