The mystery surrounding Lil Tay’s death hoax has deepened after cryptocurrency named for the teenager was released amid the confusion, it has been claimed.
On Wednesday, a now-deleted statement on the 14-year-old’s Instagram page seemingly announced that she and her brother had died.
However, she later shared a message slamming the announcement as a hack on her account, leading to a ‘traumatizing 24 hours’.
Her former manager, Harry Tsang, has since voiced his doubts over the claims that she was hacked, with a new cryptocurrency coin reportedly raising eyebrows.
According to Insider, the token, named after Tay, was released hours after the false statement of her death was posted.
The outlet reports that the Lil Tay coin appeared on the BNB Smart Chain on Thursday – but it is not clear who is responsible.
Tsang confirmed that he was planning a similar move and had started developing a token in April – but insisted that he had nothing to do with the Lil Tay cryptocurrency that had launched this week.
‘One hundred percent not me,’ he vowed. ‘I gave a warning to everyone already. That is not us. We just took down the website and everything.’
A post on the LilTayToken Twitter page added: ‘Sharing this to let everybody know that we will not be launching anything soon. We’ve been in development for 4-5 months now.
‘If anybody is reaching out to you for money saying they’re involved with $liltay it’s not true.
‘If you see another token/coin with liltay it’s a scam.’
Tay shot to fame as a child, in 2014, and amassed millions of followers thanks to Instagram videos and skits in which she flaunted her wealth.
Her page remained inactive between 2018 and 2023, before the statement of her ‘death’ was shared, with her last post being a tribute to XXXTentacion.
Many were left shocked when a statement was shared on her Instagram page on Wednesday, appearing to announce that she had died.
The message, which has now been deleted, read: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing. 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.’
However, in a statement provided to TMZ on Thursday, Tay claimed that her account had been hacked.
‘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,’ the teenager told the outlet.
‘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. My legal name is Tay Tian, not “Claire Hope”.’
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