September 27th 2023.
After shocking social media, Christopher Hope has denied being part of his daughter Lil Tay's death hoax.
The teenage rapper's father has come forward to deny any involvement in the hoax surrounding her supposed death. On August 9, a statement was released on Lil Tay's Instagram page that said she and her brother, Jason Tian, had passed away, and that the circumstances of their deaths were being investigated.
Tributes poured in from fans, however, the following day another statement was posted claiming that Tay wasn't actually dead. This led to speculation of a cryptocurrency angle, when her former manager, Harry Tsang, questioned the hacking claims after a new cryptocurrency coin was released hours after her death was announced.
The situation then took an even stranger turn when Tay accused her father of being behind the original death post. She wrote on her Instagram Story that her 'abusive, racist, misogynist, woman-beating father faked my death', alongside a photo of Christopher Hope.
Hope has strenuously denied his involvement in the hoax. In a statement to TMZ, he said: 'The person who is responsible for that Instagram post, as well as anyone repeating the completely false and libellous accusation within it, are virtually certain to become defendants in a defamation lawsuit. Everything stated is 100% false, and I trust that this should be obvious to anyone who knows me or the long history of absurd and untrue statements made by the various people who have controlled the Instagram account.'
The now-deleted post about Tay's and her brother's death read: 'It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing.' It added that the details of their deaths were still 'under investigation'.
On August 10, Tay confirmed she was still alive, and speculation began that her death was a hoax only hours later when it was discovered that her YouTube bio read 'help me'. Insider then reported that both Tay's father and alleged manager were unable to confirm whether the teenager was dead.
Tay clarified the rumors in a statement to TMZ: '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. 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.'
The rapper rose to fame as a child due to her controversial raps and skits. Her Instagram account had been previously compromised by a third party, and they used it to spread misinformation and rumors regarding her, even changing her name to 'Claire Hope'.
Tay initially began her career in 2014 and quickly amassed millions of followers thanks to her Instagram videos and skits. Her page had been inactive between 2018 and 2023 before the statement of her 'death' was shared, with her last post being a tribute to XXXTentacion.
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