Rest in Peace: Toni Braxton Devastated by a Great Loss in Her Family

Fondly referred to as LoLo to those closest to her, Lauren Braxton, niece to singer Toni Braxton, passed on late last month at her home in Maryland.

Toni Braxton’s niece Lauren Braxton was pronounced dead at the age of 24

The Fateful Day

First to break the news was TMZ, who reported that a 911 call was placed on April 29 at around noon to request an ambulance. When the law enforcement and the paramedics got to the scene, the 24-year-old Lauren was completely unresponsive. A while later, the paramedics pronounced her dead.

Quoting the young lady’s dad, Michael Braxton Jr. (Toni’s younger sibling), TMZ reported that Lauren died of an unspecified heart condition.

You may know Michael from the Braxton Family Values series where he occasionally featured with Lauren’s aunts (and his sisters) Tamar, Traci, Trina, and Towanda.

Aunt Trina took to Instagram to pay tribute to her niece, thanking God for sending an angel their way while wishing LoLo a restful stay in heaven. The caption was an accompaniment to a sweet photo of Lauren that Trina uploaded.

Braxton is in a state of utter shock, says she needs some time to mourn the death of her niece

On the Gram till Her Last Breath

Trina’s platform choice was fitting, seeing as Lauren was particularly active on Instagram herself. She loved sharing images of herself with family and friends, and her last ever post was a happy birthday wish to a relative. Days before the wish, she had posted a throwback photo – an image of a happy and jovial little Lauren enjoying cake.

Toni Braxton also paid tribute to Lauren on Instagram, uploading an image of the two posing on the red carpet. She captioned it with the RIP quote, followed by a confession to being heartbroken and in utter disbelief. She closed off her caption by stating her love for her niece.

The online community has rallied around the Braxton family in this trying time, with lots of people sending in their condolences and well wishes. While receiving these messages with an open heart, the family has, however, asked for privacy as they grieve.

Death has never been received kindly, and we cannot blame the Braxton family for asking for some peace and quiet at this time of loss.

The singer is still in disbelief over what happened

And unfortunately, it seems as though the Braxtons have a history with heart conditions. Toni has herself revealed that she has just recently received a microvascular angina diagnosis. Angina is the medical term for chest pain, and the type Toni has been diagnosed with is most often a symptom of coronary artery disease.

Plans for LoLo’s funeral are underway, although aunt Tamar has confirmed that she’ll not be in attendance. Not that she didn’t love her niece, but she is yet to come to terms with the first death in the family for her.

She has admitted that the passing of Lauren has been a lot to deal with, and she is all but drained to even make it to the funeral. Sure, her busy schedule has a lot to do with this, but losing a loved one, and a pretty young one at that, has never been easy on anyone.

All we can do is say a prayer for the Braxton family and hope they get through this very difficult period in their lives.