Lil Tay, whose real name was Claire Hope, rose to fame on social media as she bragged about her wealth and posed in expensive cars.

She was only nine years old when she appeared in videos calling herself the "youngest flexer of the century".

A flexer is somebody who likes to show off.

The rapper, who lived with her family in Vancouver, Canada, would also swear and call her critics "broke-a** haters".

A family statement on her official Instagram account has described her death as "sudden" and "entirely unexpected".

It comes after brother Jason Tian, who reportedly helped produce her videos, recently died aged 21.

The family has not revealed how the siblings died.

The statement said both deaths were now "under investigation".

It read: "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.

"During this time of immense sorrow, 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."

In an interview with Good Morning America on ABC News in 2018, Lil Tay denied claims she was influenced by her family to make the videos.

She claimed she enjoyed what she was doing.

Lil Tay's mother Angela Tian, a Vancouver estate agent, reportedly once said that she never expected her daughter and son to get such wide attention.

Ms Tian defended the videos and said they were comedy but many people didn't understand it.

Prior to the post announcing her death, there had not been a post on Lil Tay's Instagram account since 2018.

She had been at the centre of a custody battle between her parents, according to Variety.