Traci Braxton Funeral Drama & Death

Traci Braxton, a legendary performer, died after a private cancer struggle. She was 50 years old at the time.

“When I heard the news about my mother being sick first thing she said was I’m going to fight and beat this,” her son, Kevin Surratt Jr. said.

“She fought to the end and today she’s at peace. 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 “Broken Things” singer is survived by her sisters Trina Braxton, Tamar Braxton, Toni Braxton, and Towanda Braxton, in addition to her husband of more than 20 years, Kevin Surratt, and her 26-year-old son.

Toni said on her official Facebook page “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.”

Toni continued, “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.”

Braxton Family Values

Following the success of many of the sisters’ music careers, they banded together to create the Braxton Family Values reality show.

The show premiered on WE TV in April 2011.

Toni Braxton, Grammy-winning musician, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar Braxton, as well as their fiery mother, provide an intimate glimpse at their life and the drama of family strife.

“[The public] doesn’t think [our family] stick[s] together. Everybody thinks that we hate on each other,” Traci told Us Weekly in August 2018 about their sibling bond. “My parents did not believe in that. Especially trying to play one sibling against the other. We [weren’t] raised that way. It’s all love.”

She continued: “Every family go through some spats. It doesn’t even matter if you’re not even the closest family. You go through some spats. But somehow, some way, you always mend it right back together.”

The WE TV series aired for seven seasons, concluding in December 2020.

Traci Braxton Funeral Drama

“First, we’d like to Thank Everyone for the Outpouring of Love and Prayers! As we realize the loss of Our Beloved Traci was not Only our Loss we will open the Official Memorial Services to a Limited amount of Traci’s Fans to attend in person, we know how much she adored, loved, and appreciated everyone!” Traci’s memorial service plans was announced.

“A Registration Required, Limited seating Memorial for Special Guests, Friends, Family, and Fans will be held in honor of Traci Renee Braxton-Surratt on Thursday, March 31st from 10-1pm”.

The statement added.”A Memorial Viewing link will be provided for those who can not attend. Please visit: www.tracibraxton.com to retrieve the link.

“Thank you in Advance for understanding that although we would love to accommodate everyone seating is Extremely limited and registration will close at midnight or until all seats have been registered whichever comes 1st.”

Braxtons feel sister Traci’s husband and team are ‘exploiting her death’

The Braxton sisters just want their late sister Traci to rest in peace, but her husband and manager are “exploiting” their sister in death, insiders claim.

“Traci did not want a funeral or wake. She did not want people looking all over her body. She specifically requested to be immediately cremated… There was a Zoom meeting that made it clear about what she wanted, and now her husband is trying to cash in on her name,” a Braxton insider told Page Six.

Traci’s husband Kevin Surratt held a viewing for her last week and her famous sisters, Tamar, Trina, Towanda, Toni and their mother Evelyn Braxton opted out of attending. Their father Michael Conrad Braxton did show up, but we’re told he was initially turned away at the door “for not being on the list.”

“He was so upset that he wasn’t on the list. Someone from the church recognized him and let him in and he had to sit in the fourth row,” the insider said.

Braxton’s father wasn’t even allowed “to speak or say any words about his daughter,” the insider added.

Surratt, who was married to Traci for nearly 30 years, told us it’s not true and “my father-in-law and brother-in-law came in briefly. He also insisted that he invited the sisters but, “they did not show up.”

Braxton underwent treatment for esophageal cancer for a year before she passed away in March, and our insider told Pagesix, “Traci’s husband was planning her funeral months before she died. She did not know that, but he was talking to other people about it.”

Surratt claimed he honored his wife’s wishes and that, “she explained everything to the funeral home” before she passed.

“I was with my wife… more than anybody in this world. I know my wife, and when she got cancer, we really started to communicate about funeral plans and I was still trying to find treatments for her. I went to every single one of her doctor appointments throughout our entire marriage. That’s how we were, and now they’re treating me like a [deadbeat] husband,” he said.

He also claims, Traci “wanted a viewing and one memorial service in conjunction with her management, PR and other members to come together and celebrate her.”

On Thursday, Traci’s manager, Cliff Jones, whom sources say she “relinquished managerial duties” from before she passed, is further “disrespecting the family” by holding an actual funeral service.

Another source told us Jones reached out to gospel artists Kim Burrell and Byron Cage to perform at that service, but “they pulled out when they realized the sisters weren’t involved,” they said.

“A barcode is required for entry. It’s a whole production,” they added.

The first source, who told us Traci’s body has since been cremated claimed, “Nobody ever called to ask the family anything. No one called her mom, her father, her sisters to say, ‘What do you guys think – of anything.’”

The family is expecting to hold their own private memorial “the way Traci requested” on April 2., which would have been Traci’s 51st birthday, according to our sources.

Traci’s most famous sibling, Toni, seemingly confirmed the private memorial during an appearance on “Tamron Hall” on Tuesday.

“Her birthday is coming up soon — on the second — and my sisters and I are going to celebrate and have a big Traci day… So, I’m excited about that,” the distraught singer told Hall.

Surratt also confirmed the private service and said, “I was never invited… No one has sent me any type of invitation.”

Toni and Hall did not talk about last week’s viewing and her upcoming funeral, but the first source told said the situation is making the family even more sad.

“They want to lay their sister to rest and continue to celebrate her life, and they want it stress free,” they said.

Surratt insists “none of it is true. I was meeting her wishes. Traci made our son the executor of her estate because she knew [her family] wouldn’t come after him. They’d come after me.”

As for how Traci would feel about the family fighting after her death?

“She wouldn’t like it. She fought til the end. I’m just praying that it gets right,” Surratt said.