Braxton Family Values star Traci Braxton recently passed away, and her family is now accusing her husband, Kevin Surratt, of exploiting her death by going against her wishes. Traci passed away on March 12 from esophageal cancer, and the announcement of her death was shared on social media by her family members. Fans of the Braxton family were not privy to the singer’s illness, but they did notice that Traci had dropped a considerable amount of weight; the star’s weight loss was never addressed by Traci or other members of the family. Upon her death, it was revealed that she was living in hospice care for a year.
After announcing their sister’s death, the Braxton sisters have been mostly quiet. Just recently, Toni Braxton appeared on Tamron Hall to provide details of her sister’s death and revealed how she has been dealing with losing Traci. While speaking to Tamron, the singer-songwriter spoke about the support the family provided Traci while she battled her illness. In her last moments, Traci was surrounded by her family and best friends. The Braxton family asked fans for privacy to allow them to properly plan a send-off for the second oldest of the Braxton sisters.
According to Page Six, issues surrounding laying Traci to rest have been raised as the Braxton sisters believe Traci’s husband, Kevin, and her management team are exploiting her death by hosting funeral services, which she did not want. The insider that spoke to Page Six said that Traci’s desire was to be cremated and she did not want to have a traditional funeral nor did she want to have her body viewed. Though the insider is claiming that a meeting was held to discuss that this was what Traci wanted, Kevin is saying otherwise. He said, “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.” He continued to say that his actions are following what his wife wants. But now that he is executing them, her family is treating him like an illegitimate husband. Kevin also mentioned that the Braxtons’ claims are false and Traci left her son as the executor of her estate because the family would not deal negatively with Kevin Surratt Jr.
The reports also state that there was a viewing held by Kevin Sr. and the management team in the third week of March, but the Braxton sisters did not attend; Kevin claimed that an invitation was extended to them. Traci’s father and brother, Michael Conrad Braxton Sr. and Jr., attended the viewing, but it is alleged that they were not allowed in due to their names not being on the attendee list. The insider that spoke to Page Six claimed that Traci’s father was recognized by someone from the church and was allowed to enter the viewing, but he was not permitted to make any speeches and was placed in the fourth row. Kevin Jr. also denied these claims and said that the Braxton men briefly came into the viewing.
A funeral for Traci was held in Maryland on March 31, and it was streamed on Zoom. At the service, Prince George’s County Council declared the day to be Traci Renee Braxton-Surratt Day in that county. It is unclear whether the Braxton Family Values stars attended the funeral service. While on Tamron Hall, Toni mentioned that her family would be hosting Traci Day on April 2, which would have been Traci’s 51st birthday, to celebrate her life. Kevin said he was not invited to this event.
Source: Page Six