Nearly two months after the passing of Toni Braxton’s niece, Lauren Braxton, the 24-year-old’s cause of death has been determined. A representative for the medical examiner’s office in Maryland told Entertainment Tonight her death was caused by heroin and fentanyl intoxication. The manner of death is undetermined.
Law enforcement officers found Lauren unresponsive in her home on April 29, where she was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics.
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Lauren’s father, who is Toni’s younger brother, Michael Conrad Braxton Jr., told TMZ at the time that her death was thought to be related to a heart condition. Michael, 50, a Maryland-based singer-songwriter, is the only son among the Braxton siblings and has appeared on episodes of their show, Braxton Family Values. He and Toni are the elder siblings to Traci, 48, Towanda, 45, Trina, 44, and Tamar, 42.
A representative for the Braxton family told ET at the time, “We ask that you please respect the Braxton family’s privacy in this time of sadness and loss.”
Lauren is survived by her aunts Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar. Trina shared a photo of Lauren on Instagram the day after she died. “God sent me another angel!” Trina wrote. “Rest in Heaven Lauren ‘LoLo’ Braxton.”
Toni, 51, also shared a tribute in the form of an Instagram photo of herself and Lauren. “R.I.P to my amazing niece Lauren ‘Lo Lo’ Braxton…I’m still in disbelief and so very heartbroken,” she wrote a few days after Lauren died. “Love you…always auntie ‘Te Te.’”
Tamar, who won season 2 of Celebrity Big Brother a few months before Lauren’s death, opened up in an Instagram Live video about the sad incident. She explained that the death was the first time she had lost a family member and came amid a busy time for her, as she tours with Kandi Burruss and continues filming Braxton Family Values. Due to her busy schedule and how hard she was taking the news, Tamar announced she would not be attending Lauren’s funeral because she was feeling too “drained” to be at the service.
“I’ve been M.I.A. because I just cannot bring myself to post about my niece. Like, I just can’t do it,” she told her followers in the four-minute clip, which was captured the blog YBF Chic. “But what I did want to say is I want to thank everyone for sending their condolences.”
“I don’t want my sisters or my family to get upset with me, but the things that’s been going on — this is the first time that anybody in my family has passed,” she continued. “Nobody tell you about going to the damn funeral. I don’t have time going to the funeral.”
“I’m still drained from that… It’s a lot,” Tamar added, noting that, “Everything happens in God’s divine order and you’ve got to respect it and praise him anyway.”
After receiving backlash for her comments, Tamar spoke out in another post that read, “PSA: Don’t tell people how to heal from something you’ve never been through.”
