Toni Braxton opened up about losing her sister nearly two weeks after the tragic death of her sister Traci Braxton who lost her battle with esophageal cancer.
On Tuesday, the singer appeared on The Tamron Hall Show and reflected on the final moments she was able to share with Traci leading up to her death.
“It was a tough year. She was optimistic. She was hopeful that she was going to get better,” Braxton said of her sister’s strength. “Actually, she had a lot more time than they initially said. She had another six months that she was with us, so we got to savor that moment with her. We got to see her take her last breath.”
While coping with the loss of a loved one is never easy, the 54-year-old revealed to viewers that she’s working on producing a new Lifetime film, “Fallen Angels Murder Club: Friends to Die For.” Braxton said she’s dedicating the forthcoming project to her late sister, who often helped her develop the character.
“I would talk to her [Traci] every day a couple of times a day. I was filming in Canada. And I would ask her about my character and talk to her about Hollis and read my lines with her…when I look at this project, I think of her with a smile on my face,” Braxton said.
The “Breathe Again” artist said close family members surrounded Traci during her final moments.
“Her son was there. Her husband was there. Everyone was there. Her best friends were there,” Braxton said of the day her sister died. “She had so much love. The hospice nurses were incredible. You never think that it’s going to happen to you and your family. So you have to remind yourself to enjoy the moments, be happy.”
Braxton said she finds solace in the little things that remind her of her beloved sister.
“I’m a rain girl. I love when it rains. My sister Traci, she loves when it snows, and she died that morning when it was actually pouring down snow in Virginia. So my sister is now a snowflake,” the R&B legend explained. “Her favorite bird was a hummingbird, and I saw a hummingbird the other day, and it just kind of flew around and kind of suspended itself, and I was like ‘Traci?’ And it started bumping and going up and down. So that made me feel so much better. I felt like she was trying to say hello to me.”
While the Braxton sisters have divulged much of their family life on their reality show Braxton Family Values, the Maryland native assures viewers that even though she and her sisters had feuds, they were “always there” for each other.
“We’re sisters. We’re always gonna fight. That’s what sisters do, OK, it’s a rite of passage to fuss and fight, but in the end, we’re always there. We can be fussing and fighting with each other even on the show, and we’d be right there, ‘OK, I’m bringing the kids over’ and not talk to each other, but we’ll be cooking together.”
She continued, “We’re just very fortunate to have had my sister with us for as long as we did.”
As Sis2Sis previously reported, Traci, 50, passed away on Saturday, March 12, after a year-long battle with cancer. Her son, Kevin Surratt, Jr., shared the news on Instagram.
“When I heard the news about my mother being sick, first thing she said was, I’m going to fight and beat this. She fought to the end, and today she’s at peace,” Kevin wrote. “I love my mother forever, and this hurts so much, but I’m at peace knowing she’s isn’t in pain anymore. I love you, ma. I’m going to miss you.”
The seven-time Grammy award-winner posted a loving statement dedicated to her younger sister on her Instagram account.
“It is with the utmost regret that we inform you of the passing of our sister, Traci. 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,” she wrote.
“We are family forever. Love, The Braxton Family,” she added.
