Lil Tay, young YouTube personality, dies at 14

Lil Tay, the child rapper and YouTube star, has died. According to reports, she was 14 years old.

The family of Tay, born Claire Hope, issued a statement about her death in a post on Instagram Wednesday, August 9. A cause of death has not been revealed. 

“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,” the statement read. “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.”

The statement concluded, “Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable voice that will be felt by all who knew and loved her.”

Claire rose to online fame in 2018 at just 9 years old as the self-described “youngest flexer of the century.” She was best known for sharing clips of herself holding large amounts of cash to her ear on YouTube.

Her official account gained more than 220,000 subscribers, but as of Wednesday, only had two videos remaining. 

In May 2018, she sat down with ABC’s Nightline alongside her mother, Angela Tian, to discuss her controversial viral videos. 

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