Oprah Winfrey’s father, Vernon Winfrey, has passed on, the doyenne of daytime talk posted on her Instagram account on Saturday, just days after she said the family was able to honour her father.
“Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside, I had the sacred honour of witnessing the man responsible for my life, take his last breath. We could feel peace enter the room at his passing,” Winfrey wrote in the post.
Vernon Winfrey was born in 1933, she said.
It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, passed away yesterday at the age of 89. Read Oprah’s beautiful tribute to her dad 🕊 https://t.co/jVghO5oNPf
— Oprah Daily (@OprahDaily) July 9, 2022
TMZ reported that the 88-year old Vernon, who owned and operated Winfrey Barber & Beauty Shop for more than 50 years, died on Friday night after a battle with cancer.
Earlier this week, Oprah Winfrey said on Instagram the family had planned a surprise “Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Day” backyard barbecue to have his friends celebrate him as he was ill. Her father thought it was meant to be a Fourth of July celebration, she said in the video.
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Oprah Winfrey parlayed a Chicago television talk show into a media empire that expanded into movie production, magazines, satellite TV and radio, making her one of the world’s richest women.
#Oprah‘s dad is currently battling cancer. While she’s by his side, she threw him a celebration to give him “his flowers” while he’s still well enough to fully take in the praise of the people he’s touched. See the beautiful celebration here. https://t.co/dDl2w3vzYg
— Oprah Daily (@OprahDaily) July 6, 2022
