Katherine Sidnell
Just days after the bizarre death hoax on Lil Tay’s Instagram account, her family have spoken out.
Earlier this week, the famous 14-year-old’s Instagram page announced her sudden death - only for her family to then deny this a day later and allege that the page had been hacked in a statement to TMZ.
The bizarre incident has well and truly broken the internet, with the boyfriend of Lil Tay’s mom now speaking about the supposed hack.
While internet sleuths are still debating whether the incident was a PR stunt, a prank or a real-life hack – Chris Wigg has insisted that it was not planned by the teenager.
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Wigg, who is currently dating Lil Tay’s mom, also said he is ‘angry at the situation’ during his first interview.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he confirmed that Tay and her brother Jason, who was also involved in the death announcement, were both safe.
He said: “Tay and Jason are alive and well and are living in LA with their mother, Angela.”
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The Vancouver-based attorney also said that he ‘believes’ the announcement was part of a hoax.
Hitting back at the publicity stunt claims, he told the paper: “It wasn't a PR stunt by Tay. Jason told me her account was hacked and I've got to believe them.”
Despite knowing the family for two decades, he revealed that he was ‘blindsided’ by the news when initial reports hit the internet.
“I was just as shocked as anyone, even more so when I first heard the news,” he revealed, adding: “I was at work when a family member of mine texted me a story about Tay's passing. I was devastated as you can imagine.”
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However, not everyone seems to believe Wigg's version of the story, with Lil Tay's former manager insisting they don't believe the incident was down to a hack.
The August 9 announcement was initially posted on Lil Tay’s Instagram account, and seemed to confirm the tragic death of the rapper and her brother Jason. But several details, like her birth name, were wrong.
Despite this, the post was shared by multiple media outlets – only for the family to issue a correction statement 24 hours later.
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The family also claimed that the hack had been done to spread ‘jarring misinformation and rumors’. However, no one has yet to be found responsible for the hack and Wigg confirmed that he didn’t know either.
He told the Daily Mail: “I don't know, I'm not going to comment on that. I really don't know.
“I'm relieved that they are alive but angry at the entire situation. I'm just glad they are okay.”