The Lil Tay death hoax has taken yet another turn, as Meta has now confirmed that the viral rapper’s Instagram account — where the initial death announcement was made — was hacked.
In a statement to TMZ, the parent company of both Facebook and Instagram confirmed that it had to help the 14-year-old restore her account from a hacker.
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While Meta didn’t confirm any additional details about the hacker — such as their location, or whether other accounts had been compromised by the attack — they did confirm that the account was back in Lil Tay’s possession.
Lil Tay’s death was first reported on Instagram on Wednesday (August 9), in a statement that has now been deleted.
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Meta’s statement to the outlet confirmed the rapper (real name Tay Tian)’s initial statement about the matter, where she revealed that “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.”
Speculation ran wild about what possibly could have happened to Lil Tay while news of her supposed death was still fresh, with fans speculating that she’d perished from everything ranging from a car accident to a drug overdose.
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What’s more, initial reports suggested that Tay’s brother had also perished under mysterious circumstances.
However, when TMZ contacted the Vancouver police to investigate the matter further, the authorities informed the outlet that they hadn’t even been aware that a death had taken place.
The Vancouver police, however, might be interested in contacting Lil Tay’s brother if her ex-manager, Harry Tsang’s, account is to be believed.
“Upon learning about Lil Tay’s assertion of her well-being, I find relief in the fact that she is safe,” Tsang told The Mirror on Thursday (August 10). “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.”
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He continued: “Secondly, the actions of Lil Tay’s brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternative motive behind this occurrence. Simultaneously, if the underlying motive is indeed to rekindle Lil Tay’s prominence within the public sphere, I contend that such actions demonstrate a certain degree of irresponsibility.
“It’s essential to consider the potential repercussions of employing such tactics, particularly given their potential impact on the perceptions and sentiments of the broader audience.”
