By EEW Magazine Online // Notable Deaths

In sad news, it has been confirmed that singer, actor and reality TV personality, Traci Braxton, has died at age 50.

According to her family, Braxton had been privately battling cancer in the esophagus.

“We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatments for Esophageal cancer, our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory,” her husband Kevin Surratt said in a statement.

Braxton's sisters, mother and friends were by her side when she passed, her publicist Tomasina Perkins-Washington said, adding that the ailing celebrity had spent her last year in hospice..

The deceased’s mother and sisters issued a statement of their own saying, “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. 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.”

"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 in an Instagram post Saturday. "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 isn’t in pain anymore," he added. "I love you ma. I’m going to miss you."

Born in 1971, Braxton was known for film roles like, "Sinners Wanted," “All In,” and "The Christmas Lottery," as well as the stage play, "There’s a Stranger in My House."

However, she was best known for her spirited appearances in the family's reality TV show “Braxton Family Values" alongside her siblings Toni, Towanda, Trina, Tamar and Michael.

Before her death, Braxton managed to fulfill a longtime dream of recording a hit song, “Last Call,” in 2014 which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. She also recorded the song “Broken Things” four years later with her sisters, Toni, Towanda and Trina.

In addition to being a performer and entertainer, Braxton devoted much of her life to social work for children with disabilities, according to her website. She supported charities and nonprofit organizations that helped women and children facing various health and societal challenges.

Braxton is survived by her husband, son, siblings and parents.

According to the Mayo Clinic Esophageal cancer occurs in the esophagus, a long, hollow tube that runs from your throat to your stomach which helps move the food you swallow from the back of your throat to your stomach to be digested.

Esophageal cancer usually begins in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus and is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

Our prayers are with the family.