How did Oprah Winfrey’s father die? Billionaire surprised Vernon Winfrey, 88, with BBQ on July 4

Oprah Winfrey had shared several posts on her Instagram page on July 4, including a video that showed a banner that read, 'Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Celebration'
UPDATED JUL 9, 2022
Oprah Winfrey's father Vernon Winfrey was 88 (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)
Oprah Winfrey's father Vernon Winfrey was 88 (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)

Vernon Winfrey, father of Oprah Winfrey, has died. The 88-year-old who was a barber and businessman in Nashville was married to Vernita Lee, who died four years ago in Wisconsin. 

The news of his death was confirmed by Metro Councilmember Sharon Hurt on Friday evening, July 8, reported WKRN.com. There is not much information available yet regarding the same and also what disease he had.

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Vernon’s death came days after the talk show host surprised him with an Appreciation Day barbeque on the Fourth of July. She had shared several posts on her Instagram page from the day. One such post was a video that showed her displaying a banner that read, “Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Celebration.” In the caption, she wrote: “Giving my father his ‘flowers’ while he’s still well enough to smell them. Happy 4th of July as you gather with your family and friends. Remember to celebrate each other 💐.”



 

The social media share had received a lot of positive comments, like “May we all remember to use the days and time we have available now to celebrate the people we appreciate 💐🌺🌷🌸,” “Praying for your fathers healing in Jesus name 🙏🏽❤️,” “What a beautiful tribute for your dad! Enjoy your time together,” and “I love that you are able to do this for your father! I so wish I could have done this for mine while he was here. Soak up all the love today and have fun celebrating Mr. Vernon! 💛💛💛.”

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In the same post, Oprah had explained that “my father is ill and so we wanted to be able to have all of his friends come and celebrate him while he’s able to receive the joy. He thinks it's a Fourth of July thing. He doesn't know ... He's gonna walk out and see everything,” before adding: “My dad is a barber so we put him in the barber chair.”

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