Popular internet personality Lil Tay recently passed away on August 9, 2023, at the age of 14. Her family shared a statement on the same through Instagram. Lil Tay, aka Claire Hope, became a popular face on the internet in 2018 after she started to post rap videos.
Lil's family statement says that they cannot express the loss and pain they have suffered following her and her brother's deaths.
"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."
Lil and her brother's deaths have led to a lot of questions among the netizens. This is due to the allegations of abuse against Lil's father that were brought up by her brother in 2021. Jason posted a few pictures through Lil's Instagram page at the time, which sparked concern among the public.
Netizens are currently having a lot of doubts regarding Lil's demise. One of them requested that the authorities question her parents, adding that Lil was allegedly forced to do things that she was not willing to do.
Netizens point their fingers at Lil Tay's parents on Twitter after her death
Lil Tay was a rising star in the world of internet personalities. The claims of abuse made by Lil's brother in 2021 left her followers worried. Now they are doubtful if the parents were in any way involved in Lil's death, and they expressed the same on Twitter.
In 2021, Lil's brother Jason shared some pictures via her Instagram page, which has remained non-functional since 2018. Jason claimed that Lil was reportedly a victim of physical and mental abuse and that her parents, Christopher John Hope and Hanee Hope, were the culprits.
The deleted posts featured pictures where Lil's face and back had red marks. The caption stated that Lil's parents allegedly forced her to watch horror movies and locked her in a dark closet. Another post stated that Lil Tay's parents were going on vacations without her.
Two videos were later shared on the same page, in which Jason allegedly accused Christopher of owing a sum of child support and that he abused his mother and Lil. He continued:
"You haven't been in her life for years, and now you show up, and now you want to use her career as blackmail to waive your child support expenses."
Lil Tay was involved in a legal battle with her father
Lil Tay's brother revealed in May 2021 that she was involved in a legal battle with her father, who was claiming custody at the court. Jason stated that Lil was having issues paying her attorney fees, and Lil cried after finding out that her father approached the court for her legal custody.
Jason later launched a GoFundMe page, aiming to collect funds worth $150,000 for his sister's legal battle. Jason added some links that redirected to the Facebook albums featuring the vacation moments of Lil's parents alongside the items that they reportedly purchased with the help of Lil's earnings.
Lil was nine years old when she became a popular face on the internet. Her rap videos slowly became popular, and she became close to other famous rappers. Her Instagram page has been inactive since 2018.