NEWSOprah Winfrey Confirms The Death Of Her Father With Touching Tribute
Oprah Winfrey's father has died following his battle with cancer.
"It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, passed away yesterday at the age of 89," the official Oprah Daily Twitter account wrote on Saturday, July 9. "Read Oprah’s beautiful tribute to her dad."
The famed talk show host took to Instagram to reflect on her father's last days and to share a sweet video of their final celebration together.
"Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps saluted him with song," she captioned the post. "He FELT the love and reveled in it until he could no longer speak."
"Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside, I had the sacred honor of witnessing the man responsible for my life, take his last breath," she continued. "We could feel Peace enter the room at his passing. That Peace still abides. All is well. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts."
Fans flocked to the comments to offer their deepest condolences for her loss. "So happy you were able to honor him this way," one user wrote. "Bless your family." Another added, "Rest in peace, Mr. Winfrey."
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Throughout his life, Vernon worked as a barber as well as a Nashville Metro councilman. In a Father's Day video, the media mogul confessed she owed her success to her dad.
"If it were not for him, I doubt that anybody in the world would know my name," she shared in the clip. "I know firsthand how the trajectory of life can change by the positive influence of a good father."
Last year, she opened up on the effect her father had on her growing up in an interview with People. "I had a father who took responsibility for me, even though he knew I could have been somebody else's child," she explained of her late father. "And the responsibility that he took for me, not just a responsibility but care and love and direction and support as a young teenage girl, is the thing that made the difference in me being who I am now or somebody you would have never, ever heard of."
