The Braxton Sisters - Toni, Towanda, Trina and Tamar - as well as MamaEvelyn have posted touching tributes to their sister Traci Braxton, following her recent transition. Their beloved sister died after a battle with cancer. Peep their tributes, plus deets on the unauthorized GoFundMe account created after Traci’s death inside…
Over the weekend, the Braxton Family revealed the devastating news that singer, actress and 1/5 of the Braxton sisters, Traci Braxton, had passed awayat age 50. Traci’s husband, KevinSurratt, revealed she had been privately battling esophageal cancer. Traci is survived by her husband and their only child, 26-year old Kevin Surratt Jr.
Although she battled cancer privately, the sisters reached out to her favorite comedian, KevinHart, to send her well wishes. In the clip, he thanked Traci for the love he had given him throughout the years and that he was praying for her, as well as a message of strength.
“I was just made aware that you are a fan and how long you’ve been a fan and I am now aware of the love you’ve given me and I want to take the time to give you that love back. And tell you that you are loved in return and for the love you have given.”
He continued, “I want to tell you that my prayers are with you; I want to tell you to be strong and stay positive and I want to tell you you have an amazing family and support system around you that are doing their best to keep you positive and uplift you in every way possible. I hope this video does that in some type of way. My prayers are with you and more importantly my heart is smiling because of you.”
Peep the clip above.
Grammy winning singer ToniBraxton - Traci’s older sister - announced the news of Traci’s passing on her Instagram account.
”It is with the utmost regret that we inform you of the passing of our sister, Traci,” Toni wrote. “Needless to say, she was a bright light, a wonderful daughter, an amazing sister, a loving mother, wife, grandmother and a respected performer. We will miss her dearly.
”Traci passed this morning as the snow was falling, our angel is now a snowflake.
”We ask that you respect our privacy as we plan to send her home with love, celebrating her life.
”We are family forever.
”Love, The Braxton Family.”
Towanda Braxton - Traci’s younger sister - shared how much she’s going to miss their morning rituals and how heartbroken she is over her sister’s death.
”Our morning ritual, laughing, saying good morning or even watching the same movie on the phone in silence,” Towanda wrote. “No one will ever know just how we were as sisters. Behind the screen, living and loving our truth. All of us….being on the phone together for hours at a time. An amazing daughter, a dope ass sister, an incredible mom and an awesome grandma (Bubbie). A SUPERSTAR!! We never missed a beat without saying I love you whenever a call ended. A hummingbird was at my front door this morning and all I could do was smile- knowing it was you, saying ‘Good morning Umba’. My heart is broken but….Now….God has you in HIS bosom. I love you my forever Traci.”
Trina Braxton shared the family statement about her sister’s death, while Tamar Braxton shared a audio clip of MuniLong’s song “Time Machine,” with the caption,“My Dear Traci, come back,” adding a heartbroken emoji.
Evelyn Braxton - the Braxton Family matriarch - wrote a beautiful tribute to her daughter that’ll being tears to your eyes:
Here’s what she wrote:
”My dear sweet wonderful, incredible daughter, we slept in the same bed before she became so terminally ill all night talking while sharing so many secrets .. she said with so much strength of faith ,”mommy I’m going to beat this! My healing is right around the bend” I replied with so much hope “absolutely oh yes, you will be heal Baby girl without a doubt! ” As days ,weeks, and months Passed she held on to her determination that she could be an example for someone else that she could perhaps help them through this heinous disease !! As I watched her every day her mind grew stronger & more determined . We prayed every day, we repeated Psalms 23 &Anointed our heads With oil. Traci maintained Gods Peace, she never complained she just knew she was going to get through this didn’t matter how it looked. Life was hers and she was going to have it! I watch the weight drop off. I watched tears streaming down her face as she held onto her faith and her beliefs. She fought a good fight and held on until she could not hold on anymore. Only to realize that sometime healing is not on this side of God‘s kingdom but it lies on the other side in the bosom of God.
”Yes we pray for healing, of the body. Traci switched from life on this side to life on the other side. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Thank you Lord, for 50 years you have given me and my family and the world with Traci and allowing me to be her Mommy. It will always be a empty place in my heart that will never be fulfilled. Although she came through me but she comes from God. yes we will miss her because we love her. Lord, Thank you, you loan to us such a beautiful treasure in vessel that will never be forgotten.. NO I won’t complain! Look at God Forever in my heart!”
So devestating when a parent has to bury their child. You can read Traci's obituary here.
Sadly, there are people in the world who will attempt to play on people’s emotions to turn other people's pain into profit. Someone by the name of Eugene David started a GoFundMe campaign with a $5,000 goal. The title reads “Traci passed away after a battle with cancer.”
Mama Evelyn blasted the person who created the GoFundMe in an IG post:
”This has nothing to do with the Braxtons or Kevin Jr. We have no idea who this person is. PLEASE DO NOT DONATE!!!,” she wrote in the caption of a screenshot of the GoFundMe.
Trina Braxton shared the screenshot on her IG account and wrote, “This is not a Braxton Family sanctioned page. Please do not donate!!
Towanda did the same thing. She wrote, “PLEASE do not donate!! This has NOTHING to do with the Braxton’s or Kevin Jr. we have NO idea who this person is. DO NOT DONATE!!! People are SICK!!”
And she’s right! People are absolutely sick! It's sad the Braxton Family has to deal with folks scamming of their family member's name during this tragic time. It appears the GoFundMe has been taken down.
UPDATE: It has been confirmed the page was deleted. Towanda updated her IG caption to say, "THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! This page has been DELETED!! You are ALL so amazing! THNK YOU!!!
Rest easy, Traci!
Photo: Jamie Lamor Thompson/Shutterstock
