{"id":618124,"date":"2026-10-02T04:52:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T04:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/618124\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T04:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T04:52:23","slug":"a-guide-to-the-big-braxton-family-toni-trina-tamar-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/618124\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to the Big Braxton Family: Toni, Trina, Tamar & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally appeared on E! Online<\/a><\/p>\n

In the Braxton family, when one person’s heart breaks, loved ones swoop in and try to piece it back together.<\/p>\n

But all of their hearts are especially heavy now, as Trina Braxton, the fifth of Evelyn Braxton and Michael Braxton Sr.’s six children, mourns the death of her husband <\/a>Von Scales<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In an Oct. 1 statement confirming his passing, the family said they appreciated their supporters’ thoughts and prayers but are “asking for privacy at this time as they navigate this unfortunate event.”<\/p>\n

Which they will be doing together.<\/p>\n

After Traci Braxton <\/a>died of cancer in 2022<\/a> when she was only 50, Toni Braxton<\/a> noted two weeks later that she and her four sisters were “so close,” they were more like twins. (Or, technically, quintuplets.)<\/p>\n

“We’re bound together by more than just DNA, by blood,” the Grammy winner said on Tamron Hall. “It’s just something special that my parents did such a fantastic job with raising all of us together, making us so close.”<\/p>\n

More from E! Online<\/p>\n

“So, to lose one makes it more difficult,” Toni continued. “I wake up every morning and I go, ‘Did I dream it?’ And I have to remind myself, no, she’s gone\u2014but she’s been here with us for 50 years. So I try to smile about it and just be grateful for the time you have.”<\/p>\n

\"Tamar<\/p>\n

Paras Griffin\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

She and her sisters are still going to fight, of course. “That’s just what sisters do,” the Braxton Family Values alum added. “It’s a right to passage, to fuss and fight, but in the end, we’re always there.”<\/p>\n

And it was the journey of learning how to navigate life without Traci that led the family to return to WE tv on The Braxtons, which picked up with Toni, Trina, Towanda Braxton, Tamar Braxton and mom Evelyn\u2014plus a host of kids, partners and pals\u2014in 2024.<\/p>\n

Read on for more details about the whole Braxton family:<\/p>\n

Evelyn Braxton<\/p>\n

\"Evelyn<\/p>\n

Matriarch Evelyn Braxton was born Evelyn Jackson in 1948 and it’s clear where the gospel her family abides by\u2014music and faith\u2014originated.<\/p>\n

The opera singer and minister married MichaelBraxton when she was 18 and they had six children together\u2014Toni Braxton, Michael Braxton Jr., Traci Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Trina Braxton and Tamar Braxton\u2014during their 34-year union. They divorced in 2000.<\/p>\n

After joining her daughters on the WE tv series Braxton Family Values, which ran from 2011 to 2020 and birthed several spin-offs, she became a public speaker and life coach, and is now co-hosting Cooking Sessions With Tamar & Ms. E on CleoTV.<\/p>\n

Also back by popular demand, WE tv re-picked up the family’s story in 2024 with the premiere of The Braxtons.<\/p>\n

Michael Braxton Sr.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Retired pastor Michael, born in 1947, has had a complicated relationship with his kids, not least due to his admitted infidelity during his marriage to their mother which became an occasional topic of pointed conversation on Braxton Family Values.<\/p>\n

As in, he started dating future wife Wanda Braxton in 1993 and they married in 2000 once his divorce from Evelyn was finalized.<\/p>\n

“I don’t like to talk about my past so much,” the patriarch said on a 2017 episode<\/a>, “but Evelyn and I were having problems in our relationship. And I hate saying this, but I reached out to Wanda and she was a nice person to talk with.”<\/p>\n

Toni Braxton<\/p>\n

\"Toni<\/p>\n

The “Un-Break My Heart” singer was born Oct. 7, 1967, the eldest of Michael and Evelyn’s six children.<\/p>\n

Toni and her siblings got their start singing in church and the five sisters were signed by Arista as The Braxtons in 1989.<\/p>\n

But Toni really took off as a solo artist with her self-titled debut in 1993, featuring “Another Sad Love Song” and “Breathe Again,” and she’s won seven Grammys.<\/p>\n

\"<p>She<\/p>\n

She shares sons Denim ColeBraxton-Lewis, born in 2001, and Diezel Ky Braxton-Lewis, born 2003, with ex-husband Keri Lewis.<\/p>\n

\"<p>And<\/p>\n

Michael Braxton Jr.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Evelyn and Michael Sr.’s only son was born Nov. 17, 1968.<\/p>\n

He appeared on Braxton Family Values and on the occasional red carpet, but the singer-songwriter, who performed on the 2015 album Braxton Family Christmas, leads a more private life than his famous siblings.<\/p>\n

Michael Jr. is dad to Ashlee Braxton<\/a>, who was born in 1991, but suffered a tragedy when his younger daughter Lauren Braxton <\/a>died of a drug overdose<\/a> in 2019, days shy of her 25th birthday.<\/p>\n

Traci Braxton<\/p>\n

\"Traci<\/p>\n

Born April 2, 1971, Traci joined her younger sisters as backup singers for Toni when their eldest sibling went solo in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

While she pursued her own music and acting ventures, she admitted it was hard to stand out in her showbiz family.<\/p>\n

She cited her “growth as an individual” when explaining why her Braxton Family Values tagline went from “the wannabe” to “the wild card,” telling BlackGirlNerds in 2018<\/a>, “I was the wannabe before because I wanted so badly to be with my sisters. When you come from a litter of sisters like I did\u2026being separated can cause an ache within you. Almost like a toothache. But don’t complain when you get what you ask for.”<\/p>\n

Sadly, Traci died in March 2022 at the age of 50 after a private battle with esophageal cancer.<\/p>\n

\"<p>In<\/p>\n

In addition to the big Braxton fam, she was survived by husband Kevin Surratt, their son Kevin Jr. and grandson Kevin III.<\/p>\n

Kevin Jr. announced the birth of his daughter Renee (Traci’s middle name) on June 4, 2026.<\/p>\n

Towanda Braxton<\/p>\n

\"Towanda<\/p>\n

Towanda arrived Sept. 18, 1973, and has been singing ever since.<\/p>\n

In addition to appearing on Braxton Family Values, in 2004 she was on the second season of Starting Over, a daytime syndicated reality show featuring women at a crossroads who are hoping to make some big changes in their life.<\/p>\n

Along the way, Towanda met Sean Hall, who proposed in 2024 after nine years of dating, popping the question onstage during Toni and Cedric the Entertainer’s Las Vegas show Love and Laughter<\/p>\n

“After 30+ years of fondness & friendship and after a very public engagement,” the bride wrote on YouTube, they tied the knot March 22, 2025, in Decatur, Ga., with Toni and Trina serving as bridesmaids.<\/p>\n

\"<p>Towanda<\/p>\n

Towanda had daughter Brooke and son Braxton with “wasband” AndreCarter, as she referred to her ex-husband in a 2021 interview with Madame Noir<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hall “stepped in and he’s become the father to my kids,” she shared. “He looks at Braxton and Brooke as if they’re his own. And it takes an amazing person, man or woman, to step into those shoes because he kind of got thrown into the lion’s den.”<\/p>\n

Trina Braxton<\/p>\n

\"Trina<\/p>\n

Trina, born Dec. 3, 1974, stuck with Towanda and Tamar to release The Braxtons’ debut album as a trio, 1996’s So Many Ways.<\/p>\n

After they disbanded, Trina continued to act and sing, and co-hosted the talk show Sister Circle.<\/p>\n

On the personal front, she married Gabriel Solis in 2003\u2014on Braxton Family Values, she confronted her father about missing their wedding, “not because he was dead, but because he made a choice not to”\u2014and they welcomed sons Eric and Caleb <\/a>in 1995 and 1998.<\/p>\n

But three years after Trina and Gabriel divorced in 2015, he died of pancreatic cancer when he was 43.<\/p>\n

The Bar Chix later connected with Von Scales, marrying him in 2019. In 2025, they were documenting their shared fitness journey<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

But in a devastating update, the Braxton family shared Oct. 1, 2026, that Von had died at the age of 58<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tamar Braxton<\/p>\n

\"Tamar<\/p>\n

In addition to enjoying her own solo singing career, the baby of the family, born March 17, 1977, blew up as a reality TV star after getting her feet wet in the genre on Braxton Family Values.<\/p>\n

Previously married to Darrell Allamby from 2001 to 2003, Tamar and second husband Vincent Herbert starred on their own show, Tamar & Vince. She also co-hosted The Real, became a frequent face on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Hip Hop Squares, was aroommate on The Surreal Life, competed on Dancing With the Stars and won Celebrity Big Brother 2.<\/p>\n

Tamar and Vince welcomed son Logan in 2013 but divorced several years later. After getting engaged on Queen’s Court, she married and divorced Jeremy “JR” Robinson in 2024.<\/p>\n

“My current love life status is absolutely ridiculous,” Tamar told Entertainment Tonight<\/a> in 2025. “There’s nothing happening.”<\/p>\n