Toni Braxton Health Issue: Grammy-Winning Singer Almost Died After Life-Threatening Lupus Complication

Toni Braxton recounted her near-death experience amid her lupus battle.

Braxton has been sharing her story in her interviews as she battles with SLE in the past few years. She first revealed her diagnosis in 2010, two years after she learned about it.

Toni Braxton's Lupus Complication Almost Claimed Her Life

Speaking more about her health issue, the 55-year-old "He Wasn't Man Enough" singer revealed that she went through a traumatic and life-threatening health scare after facing a lupus complication.

Braxton revealed that she underwent a procedure in September after her doctors detected that 80 percent of his heart's main artery was blocked.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SLE occurs when one's immune system harms its own tissues and causes inflammation and tissue damage in different parts of the body while also affecting blood vessels, joints, lungs, and kidneys, to name a few.

Although she has been aware of the disease's effects on her body, she "slipped up" last year that the complication became life-threatening.

"The doctors told me I could've had a massive heart attack, I would not have survived," she said. "It was a traumatic moment for me. I was in shock. I remember that day because my chest was aching often, just hurting."

The experience made Braxton remember her late sister, Traci Braxton, who died in March 2022 following her private esophageal cancer.

Two days after finding out about the blockage, the "Un-break My Heart" crooner underwent an emergency surgery during which her doctors installed a stent in her heart to keep the passageway open in the organ.

Toni Braxton Emotional While Feeling Grateful

Due to the life-threatening event, Braxton became more grateful that the health scare did not lead to a fatal heart attack.

For the singer, her lupus complication served as a blessing in disguise for her so she could prioritize her health even more. In addition, it caused her to partner with the Get Uncomfortable campaign before Lupus Awareness Month in May.

The Aurinia's campaign encourages and empowers people with lupus and lupus nephritis so they can check themselves and follow doctors' orders to help them prevent kidney damage.

It also focuses on women of color diagnosed with the disease, since Black and Asian women are more prone to develop kidney disease caused by SLE.