Von Scales — a St. Louis son whose life stretched well beyond the reality‑TV spotlight — died Thursday morning in Atlanta. He was 58.
His death was confirmed in a statement from Trina Braxton’s publicist, David Robinson, who said the family is asking for privacy as they grieve. Scales had been dealing with heart‑related health issues.
Scales and Braxton met through mutual friends and married in December 2019 in St. Louis — a celebration later featured on Braxton Family Values. Their marriage came a year after the death of Braxton’s former husband, Gabe Solis, and was followed by another family loss in 2022 when her sister, Traci Braxton, died after a cancer battle.
But long before television audiences came to know him as Trina Braxton’s husband, St. Louis knew Scales for the life he built here — as an athlete, a father, a mentor and a steady presence in gyms across the region.
He was a standout basketball player at DeSmet in the mid‑1980s, known for his smooth left‑handed shooting stroke and his impact in the old Bonner Summer League. He went on to play at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, including on the 1988 team that reached the NCAA Tournament.
St. Louis American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr. remembered Scales as both a gifted athlete and a familiar face in the city’s basketball circles.
“Many people across the country knew him as the husband of Trina Braxton of the famous Braxton family,” Austin said. “Here in St. Louis, we knew him as that young baller who was a tremendous basketball player at DeSmet in the mid‑80s. He played on some great teams at UMSL. Von was also a dude at the old Bonner Summer League back in the day.”
Austin also recalled Scales as a devoted father to his three sons — Evan, Cameron and Brendan — all standout athletes at Lafayette High School.
“We spent a lot of time with Von in those gyms, talking ball, laughing and enjoying time with our boys,” Austin said. “He was a great father, and a very good man.”
Cameron Scales spent part of his college career at Lindenwood University, where Austin last saw Von in person — at an alumni game where Scales and Braxton flew in from Atlanta to support him.
Scales also gave back to the sport as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Surge women’s professional basketball team.
His death leaves a void felt across family, friends and the St. Louis basketball community that watched him grow from a promising young player into a respected mentor and father.
“My heart goes out to Trina, the boys and the rest of Von’s family,” Austin said. “He was a big part of our St. Louis basketball community. And a very good man.”