LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lil Tay, a 14-year-old influencer, was found dead on Wednesday, August 9, shocking the world and putting a devastating end to a tragic tale rife with exploitation and abuse rumors.
At the age of nine, Lil Tay, whose real name was Claire Hope, shot to fame after posting strange and contentious videos online where she was seen using the N-word and fighting with random people.
She was hailed as one of the biggest rising stars on the internet in 2017, quickly gaining millions of followers. Still, some internet users were worried about her safety due to her bizarre videos.
Soon, rumours that she was being coerced into appearing in the videos by her family started to circulate.
These rumors were only strengthened when a video emerged that appeared to show her brother, Jason Tian, who was then 16 years old, advising her on what to say. However, let's know about her mother.
Lil Tay was the youngest child of Angela Tian
Claire Hope, famously known as Lil Tay, was the youngest child of Angela Tian. She was an real estate agent. Her success in real estate influenced Lil Tay’s luxurious lifestyle.
There have been rumors that her mother and brother were taking advantage of her and forcing her to do things she was uncomfortable with for online fame. However, while speaking to 'Good Morning America' at the time, she urged, "No one is forcing me to do this. It's not true that [my family] wants to make money off of me."
When Lil Tay posted a terrifying message on her Instagram stories in July 2018 asking for assistance before abruptly deleting all of her videos hours later, the situation became more worrisome, as reported by DailyMail.
She posted the phrase 'help me' to her Instagram story
Lil Tay, however, caused major concern one month later when she posted the phrase "help me" to her Instagram story. Her social media accounts had all of their posts deleted hours later. Jason, her brother, also posted a message with the subject line "Help" to his Instagram Stories at the time.
Lil Tay's father was 'trying to destroy her life for his own financial gain'
Then, in October 2018, someone claiming to have previously worked with the young celebrity posted a number of ominous messages on her Instagram account, alleging that Lil Tay's father Christopher Hope, who had split from her mother when she was one, was 'trying to destroy her life for his own financial gain.'
Lil Tay's life had been cut off for "a very long time," the person claimed, but he had just re-entered it and was attempting to "take her away from her mother", Angela. To Hollywood Life, Chris refuted the accusations, calling them all "lies" and asserting that he was only acting to defend her, as per reports.
