Oprah Winfrey spent the 4th of July in Nashville, Tennessee, where she and her family had a backyard BBQ. She shared multiple posts from the visit including a video where she was “shelling peas” with her family and another video where she was making breakfast with her best friend, Gayle King.
While she kept the posts happy, the backyard BBQ wasn’t just about family togetherness and celebrating the 4th of July. It was also a way to honor and pray for her father, Vernon Winfrey. Oprah shared, “So we’ve been planning a backyard barbecue that’s actually more than a backyard barbecue. It’s for Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Day. Because 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.” She added, “He doesn’t even know that this is for him.”
Her dad thought the celebration was simply for the 4th of July. Until he went outside, seated in a barber chair since he worked as a barber, he had no idea the celebration was for him.
The party took place in Vernon’s backyard. Less than a week later, he passed away. Oprah posted a video of her father to announce his death. In the video, he is seated in the barber chair at the backyard barbecue, and gospel singer Wintley Phipps sings to and prays for Vernon.
Oprah captioned the post, “Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps saluted him with song. He FELT the love and reveled in it until he could no longer speak.”
Oprah went on to explain that her father was surrounded by family and friends when he passed away. She wrote, “Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside, I had the sacred honor of witnessing the man responsible for my life, take his last breath. We could feel Peace enter the room at his passing.”
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Several weeks earlier, in a video in honor of Father’s Day, Oprah gave her father credit for her success. She said, “If it were not for him, I doubt that anybody in the world would know my name.” She added, “I know firsthand how the trajectory of life can change by the positive influence of a good father.”
Oprah’s father passed away on July 8th. He was 89 years old.
[Image credit: Deposit Photos]
