Trina Braxton Talks Losing Late Sister Traci: 'We Miss Her Every Day' (Exclusive)

“To me, she was the best of us,” Trina tells PEOPLE at the 2024 Urban One Honors of her late sister Traci, who died at age 50 of esophageal cancer in 2022.

Traci Braxton will always be loved and remembered by her family.

Nearly two years after the reality TV star and musician died of esophageal cancer at the age of 50, her sister Trina Braxton has opened up about Traci’s memory and how their lives were portrayed on Braxton Family Values for seven seasons.

“We’re just like any other family, and I think that’s what drew people to us,” Trina, 49, tells PEOPLE on the 2024 Urban One Honors red carpet at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta.

Traci Braxton, sister of Toni and Tamar Braxton, dies at age 50: ‘We are family forever’

Trina Braxton at the Urban One Honors in Atlanta on January 20, 2024.

Derek White/Getty Images for TV One

The We TV series chronicled the lives of her, Traci, their sisters Toni, Tamar and Towanda, as well as mom Evelyn — and all the drama that ensues within the big family. “Sometimes you’re going to argue. You might want to just punch each other at the throat, but at the end of the day you can come to a decision,” she adds.

Since the series ended in 2020, she still feels the love of fans for their family. “There’s always someone who identifies with Trina, or Towanda, or – God rest her soul – Traci, or Tamar, or Toni or Mama,” says Trina. “I think we’re all just aunts.”

Traci’s death affected many viewers who connected with the Braxton family through the reality series. For Trina, her memory remains alive and well despite the missing link in their sisterhood.

Traci Braxton in California in April 2019. Paul Archuleta/Getty

“There’s a hole there, you know,” she says. – And for me, she was the best of us.

“People say, you know, ‘Time heals all wounds.’ I have to find that person [who coined the phrase] so I can hunt them,” jokes Trina before waxing sentimental about her late sister. “We miss her every day, but she’s still with us.”

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Trina Braxton at the Urban One Honors in Atlanta on January 20, 2024.

Brian Stukes/FilmMagic

Toni Braxton opened the first interview after the death of her sister Traci: ‘She had so much love’

Toni, 56, confirmed Traci’s death in March 2022 with an emotional post on Instagram. “It is with great regret that we inform you of the death of our sister Traci,” the “Un-Break My Heart” singer wrote at the time. “Needless to say, she was a shining light, a wonderful daughter, an amazing sister, a loving mother, a wife, a grandmother and a respected performer. She will be greatly missed.”

The sixth annual Urban One Honors: Best in Black, which will honor stars including Chloe Bailey, Frankie Beverly, Mary J. Blige, Donald Lawrence and Dionne Warwick, airs February 25 on TV ONE.

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Source: HIS Education