With the hit "Unbreak My Heart" singer Toni Braxton (55) landed a world hit in the 1990s. Last year, of all things, her heart was giving her trouble. Because life was in danger, the American had to undergo serious heart surgery in September. She spoke about it for the first time in an interview with the US magazine "People".

The Grammy winner recalls a "traumatic" time: "My left main coronary artery was 80 percent blocked. The doctors told me I could have had a massive heart attack, I wouldn't have survived." Before the invasive emergency procedure, she let her regular health checks slip. "I kept procrastinating and thinking, 'Oh, I'm fine. I'll be fine.' But my doctor was adamant and I went for testing the last week of September. I did a special test and they looked at my heart and saw some abnormalities."

And she continues: "I found out that I needed a coronary stent. It was a traumatic moment for me. I was shocked." Although she had often felt chest pains before, she put it in the wrong context: "I thought I was sad because unfortunately my sister had just died. I thought, 'Wow, I have heartbreak for my sister.'" It was her body that spoke to her. A few days after her screening, Toni Braxton had to undergo emergency heart surgery.

The singer was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in 2008. It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own healthy cells. This triggers an inflammatory response that can damage organs.