Lil Tay's former manager suspects reported death of teen influencer was publicity stunt

foxnews.com:

LOS ANGELES - An Instagram post Wednesday claimed Lil Tay, a young influencer with more than three million followers, had suddenly passed away.

Now, a new report has surfaced that the teenager is still alive – and her former manager is questioning "an alternative motive behind this occurrence." Tay quickly rose to internet fame in 2018 when she was just nine years old, gaining notoriety by posting energetic and expletive-filled videos featuring cars she claimed to have purchased herself and fistfuls of cash that she waved around in her hands.

The girl disappeared from the public eye as quickly as she'd entered it. On Wednesday, a post was shared to her Instagram account, the first since June 2018, that claimed she and her older brother Jason had both died.

On Thursday, Lil Tay reportedly told TMZ, "I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive." She also claimed that her "Instagram account was compromised." In response, her former manager Harry Tsang exclusively told Fox News Digital that he finds "relief in the fact that she is safe." "However, I believe the reported hacking incident may not have occurred," Tsang, who noted that he hasn't spoken to the family in two years, stated. "My rationale for this perspective is two-fold: firstly, the restoration of a compromised account on platforms like Meta/Instagram typically does not necessitate a 24-hour timeframe.