Its been two weeks since Toni Braxton and her family shocked the world by announcing in a joint statement that Traci Braxton passed away at the age of 50 following her battle with esophageal cancer.
At the time of Traci’s passing on March 12, it was reported that the “Braxton Family Values” star had been battling the disease for about a year.
On March 29, while promoting her latest Lifetime project titled “Fallen Angels Murder Club,” Toni disclosed during her virtual appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show,” how she’s holding up following Traci’s passing and her younger sister’s final moments.
She said at mark 0:34 of the interview, while thanking Hall and the audience, “I thought I was doing okay until you started talking, and it kind of took me there, but I miss my sister so much every day.” Toni continued the discussion by bringing up how optimistic Traci was during her “tough year” following the cancer diagnosis.
The “Breathe Again” vocalist said at mark 2:10, “It was a tough year. She was optimistic. She was hopeful that she was going to get better. Actually, she had a lot more time than they initially said. She had another six months that she was with us. We got to savor that moment with her and talk and laugh and giggle.”
She added, “All my sisters and I, my parents we all rallied together, my brother; we were in the D.C. area, and we were just there all the time with her. So we got to see her take her last breath, and that part was kind of hard.”
Later, the conversation transitioned to the relationship the Braxton girls Towanda, Trina and Tamar had with Traci. Toni expressed that the five women were “so close” despite the sisters’ constant bickering on-screen over the years.
The singer explained how “difficult” it is to lose Traci. “We’re so close. We’re more than sisters. We’re kind of like twins I like to call it. We’re bound together by more than just DNA, by blood. Its just something special that my parents did such a fantastic job with raising all of us together and making us so close. So to lose one makes it a little more difficult sometimes.”
She continued, “I wake up every morning and I go ‘Did I dream it? Did I dream it? And I have to remind myself, ‘No, she’s gone but she’s been here with us for 50 years so I try to relish in that moment. I try to smile about it and just be grateful for that time you have and you have to always remember to be kind to one another.”
Toni wrapped up the statement by giving fans insight into the Braxton sisters’ dynamic, which included fights and numerous bonding moments.
She said, “We’re sisters; we’re always going to fight. That’s what sisters do okay. It’s the right to passage, to fuss and fight, but then in the end, we’re always there. We can be fussing and fighting with each other even on the show, and we’ll be right there ‘Okay, I’m bringing the kids over’ and not talk to each other, but we’ll be cooking together.”
Toni concluded by saying how “fortunate” she and her family were to have Traci for as long as they did. “We always loved each other and we’re just very fortunate to have my sister with us for as long as we had.”
