Mystery surrounds the reported death of a Metro Vancouver teenager, who became a social media star, amassing millions of followers under the name Lil Tay.
On Wednesday morning, a post on her Instagram account announced that Claire Hope and her 21-year-old brother had died suddenly and tragically.
However, the post did not provide more details, nor reveal exactly who authored it. The post was removed Thursday morning.
Wednesday afternoon, a man identifying himself as Hope’s former manager released a statement to the media following the news, saying he has been in contact with people who have “an intimate understanding of the family’s situation.
“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. This situation calls for cautious consideration and respect for the sensitivities involved.”
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Lil Tay gained fame online when she started posting videos of her rapping, sitting in high-priced cars, and flashing stacks of money.
However, it later turned out that one of the cars shown in her videos, a red Mercedes convertible, belonged to her mother’s boss.
Angela Tian was working for Pacific Evergreen Realty, a real estate firm with an office at Oakridge Centre on West 41st Avenue at the time.
Boss David Yang told Global News in 2018 that he never gave permission for his car to appear in the then-nine-year-old’s video.
Another video showed Lil Tay in a luxury apartment but that also turned out to be a listing by Pacific Evergreen Realty at the time.
Tian eventually retired from the real estate company.
The Instagram post revealed the family also recently lost Hope’s brother and both deaths are under investigation.
“Claire will remain forever in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her,” the post reads.
Vancouver police said Thursday that they have not received any report of her death and are not investigating.