Controversial social media star and rapper Lil Tay and her brother, Jason Tian, were reported to be alive and well after she was announced dead on her Instagram account.
In a TMZ report, the rapper’s family issued a statement saying that she was “completely heartbroken” by what happened.
“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,” Lil Tay told the American tabloid.
“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,” she added.
This came after several speculations circulated online following the announcement of Lil Tay and her brother’s sudden death, claiming that the rapper could be in danger.
RELATED: Mystery, confusion hound news of rapper Lil Tay, brother’s death
Instagram user @termanii, who identified himself as the older brother of Lil Tay, also previously denied the death announcement made on the rapper’s Instagram account.
Addressing the speculations and confusion, Lil Tay also claimed in the statement sent to TMZ that her Instagram account was hacked by a third party. She said the hacker is believed to be responsible for the death announcement which was already taken down.
“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. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope,'” she added.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, however, declined to comment on the hacking claims of Lil Tay, according to report of ABC News.
Meanwhile, the statements released by Lil Tay and her family could not be verified.
