Who was viral teenage sensation Lil Tay after ‘sudden and tragic’ death?-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro

Lil Tay has died unexpectedly at age 14 (Picture: Instagram/Lil Tay)

Lil Tay, real name Claire Hope, died suddenly on August 9, at the age of just 14 with her older brother Jason.

The young rapper made a name for herself on social media, shooting to fame by bragging about her wealth online.

One of her most viral videos showed Hope holding a pile of cash and claiming ‘Your favourite rapper ain’t even doing it like Lil Tay’.

She had not posted since 2018 when the shocking announcement was made on her Instagram by her family.

‘It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,’ a statement shared by her family on Instagram began.

The details of her and her brother’s death have not been released with the statement adding circumstances were still ‘under investigation’.

Lil Tay shot to fame in 2018 but disappeared from the limelight (Picture: GMA)

Who is Lil Tay?

Lil Tay was just nine – or so she claimed- when she rose to fame through her skits and short Instagram videos, predominantly flaunting money.

According to The Cut, Lil Tay was born on July 29, 2007, to a Chinese mother Angela Tian and a Canadian father, Chris Hope, making her 10 at the time of her first videos.

Before her fame, she had been participating in Royal Ballet Academy competitions and danced from the age of four.

She first appeared in a supposed beef-squashing video between meme stars Bhad Bhabie and Woah Vicky, looking unassuming in a lace white top and bleached hair.

‘You tryna fight?’ the little girl says before screaming ‘b***h’ at a retreating Bhabie – not so innocent and instantly becoming a viral success.

Within a week she had skyrocketed from 300,000 followers to 2.5 million on Instagram, with about 15 million impressions per post.

Hope’s online persona bragged of a rags to riches tale, claiming to have been ‘broke as hell’ before ‘moving bricks’ to become a Gucci-wearing pre-teen.

She went a familiar route of many up-and-coming meme stars by forming alliances and starting arguments.

By January 2018 she had become the most googled question starting with ‘who’ and had jetted from Atlanta to LA for contract deal talks.

What happened to Lil Tay?

This is where the fame trajectory kicks into high gear, with interview opportunities with everyone from Logan Paul to Good Morning America.

She had even been set to play Coachella that year and released a song on Youtube, bouncing between deals and management opportunities.

For the most part, it appears brother Jason was the mastermind behind Lil Tay’s public persona, which crumbled when their father intervened with her LA lifestyle.

In June 2018, Tay was court-ordered to live with her lawyer father in Vancouver during which time he shut down the accounts and banned her from posting.

‘When my daughter’s social media began to go viral this year, I disagreed with most of the social media activity. I took legal steps to stop things which I felt were dangerous to her physical and mental health and to her future,’ he told Hollywood Life in October 2018.

He added: ‘I do not think a 10-year-old girl should be put in those situations and made to drop out of school so that she can make money for other people.’

Lil Tay’s accounts were shut down with her last post a tribute to XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed in Florida.

The post announcing her death continued: ‘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.

‘During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation.

‘Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.’

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