Twenty four hours after Tay Tian, the 14-year-old social media personality and rapper known as Lil Tay, was believed to be dead, the public is learning she isn’t dead after all.

On Thursday, Tay’s family provided a statement to TMZ that began with, “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 statement continued, “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.”

It also claimed that Tay’s Instagram account was hacked by a third party, pointing out how the fake death announcement listed her legal name as Claire Hope instead of Tay Tian.

Fans learned of Tay’s fake death on Wednesday through an Instagram post, which revealed that her brother had also died.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing,” the post read.

“We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock.”

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hoax

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