Oprah Winfrey’s father, Vernon Winfrey, passed away late Friday night following a battle with cancer, according to a statement she released. He was 89.
A tribute posted on Oprah Daily shows that Oprah visited her father in Nashville in the weeks leading up to his passing.
On July 4, Vernon was pleasantly delighted with a backyard BBQ and “Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Celebration,” where he was joined by friends and family.
The purpose of the celebration was to give her father his “flowers while he’s still well enough to smell them,” Oprah Winfrey wrote in a previous article. Wintley Phipps, a gospel musician and Oprah’s friend, performed during the event.
Vernon was a renowned barber in his neighborhood and also a member of the Metro Nashville Council for 16 years.
Vernita Lee, Oprah’s mother, passed away in 2018 at age 83. Lee, who was born in Mississippi, gave birth to Winfrey when she was just a teenager. Vernon and Lee never wed.
