Big Update: Lil Tay is alive, report quotes her as saying ‘My Instagram account was compromised’

Lil Tay confirms to TMZ- she is alive and her social media account was compromised.

24 hours after an Instagram post on her account announced her unfortunate demise, report now claims Lil Tay is alive. The earlier Instagram post which announced her death, has been deleted.

Lil Tay (Twitter)

In a statement provided to TMZ from Tay's family, she confirmed, "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."

According to TMZ, she said: "My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not "Claire Hope".

Now-deleted Instagram post which announced her death

The news of Tay and her brother's death was confirmed by someone through her official Instagram account which boasts of 3.4 million followers.

“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. 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," read the post which is now deleted.

"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 post further read.

Earlier reports and rumours

Earlier, a friend of Tay had also confirmed the death of the influencer. Popular Instagrammer Dynasty Jenkins posted a tribute for her friend Tay, saying: “I lost one of my best friends.” Dynasty had also shared two old pictures of them together. Dynasty also shared an old video of them, dancing side by side and captioned it with a heartbroken emoji.

Interestingly, when Tay's father Christopher Hope was contacted by DailyMail.com to confirm his daughter's death. Hope had stated he cannot confirm or deny the reports until verifying it himself.