Meta confirms Lil Tay’s Instagram account was hacked following death hoax

Meta has reportedly confirmed that Lil Tay’s Instagram was hacked after her account was used to falsely announce the rapper’s death. Lil Tay, who said her real name is Tay Tian, previously told TMZ that her Instagram page was “compromised by a third party” when it was used to “spread jarring misinformation” about her “sudden and tragic passing.” Meta did not immediately respond Sunday to The Times’ request for comment. The Instagram post, which has since been deleted, claimed that the “entirely unexpected” deaths of the siblings were “under investigation.” Shortly after news outlets began reporting Lil Tay’s death, the internet personality’s father, Christopher Hope, and former manager, Harry Tsang, could not confirm to Insider that the teenager had died. “My commitment remains focused on delivering updates that are both reliable and appropriately timed.” Tsang was also among multiple people who previously doubted whether Lil Tay’s Instagram account had actually been hijacked. When the Instagram post and subsequent reports were revealed to be untrue, Lil Tay told TMZ that she had been bombarded with phone calls from loved ones “all while trying to sort out this mess.” TMZ also reportedly received a “full press release” from someone claiming to represent Lil Tay’s family and saying that she and her brother had died at their mother’s home in Vancouver.