Was Lil Tay's death announcement a publicity stunt? Former manager Harry Tsang accuses 14-year-old YouTuber of lying
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Former manager Harry Tsang has accused Lil Tay of fabricating claims about her Instagram account being hacked. Shortly after confirming her actual state of being alive, her former manager alleged that her social media may not have been hacked at all.
The 14-year-old rapper and her older brother Jason Tian were initially thought to have passed away following a statement posted on her official account on Instagram on Wednesday, August 9.
‘I find relief in the fact that she is safe’
After more than 24 hours had elapsed since the post's publication, the teenage artist finally addressed the situation, verifying her well-being and asserting that her account had been compromised by an external party.
However, in an interview with Daily Mail, Lil Tay's former manager, Tsang, who held a prominent role as the spokesperson for Tay and her family during the peak of her fame in 2018, has expressed skepticism regarding the complete veracity of the teenager's recent statement.
Tsang conveyed his sense of relief, yet he voiced doubt concerning the purported hacking incident, asserting, "Upon learning about Lil Tay's assertion of her well-being, I find relief in the fact that she is safe. However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred."
Was Lil Tay's death announcement a publicity stunt?
Within this context, Tsang raised two key points of uncertainty regarding the authenticity of Lil Tay's explanation. Firstly, he questioned the timeline presented by Lil Tay for the restoration of her Instagram account subsequent to the alleged hacking.
He stated, "My rationale for this perspective is twofold: firstly, the restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour timeframe."
Tsang proceeded to draw attention to Lil Tay's brother, Jason, who had faced allegations of exploiting his younger sibling in 2018. During that time, a video emerged showcasing him seemingly guiding her controversial on-camera behavior.
Tsang remarked, "Secondly, the actions of Lil Tay's brother, renowned for his propensity for extreme measures, lead me to hypothesize an alternative motive behind this occurrence."
Following the posting of the death announcement on Lil Tay's previously dormant Instagram account, which had remained inactive since June 2018, the influencer witnessed a surge of over 200,000 new followers.
Tsang's assertions have emerged subsequent to the teenager's direct affirmation of her survival. She conveyed this confirmation to TMZ on the afternoon of August 10, dispelling any notion of her demise.