Oprah Winfrey’s Mother Dies Thanksgiving Day

For the past few days, social media has been mourning for the lost of Kim Porter, former love and mother of his three children, Diddy, the American Rapper. But just recently coming to the fan is the death of Vernita Lee, birth mother of Oprah Winfrey, the actress, media executive, and known most famously for her talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. According to a family statement, Lee died on Thanksgiving Day in her home in Milwaukee.

Confused on why your unfamiliar with the billionaire’s mother? For those that don’t know, Winfrey and Lee didn’t have your typical “mother-daughter” relationship. Lee was born in 1935, in a segregated Mississippi; it was there where she met Winfrey’s father, Vernon Winfrey. At the age of 19, she gave birth to her first child Oprah Winfrey. Lee gave Oprah up at an early age to her mother (Oprah’s grandmother) Hattie Mae Lee. It wasn’t until the age of six that Oprah went back to live with Lee, and her half-siblings Patricia Lee Llyod and Jeffrey Lee in Milwaukee; but even then, she didn’t stay for long because at age 14 Winfrey moved to Tennessee to live with her father.

As time passed on, Lee and Winfrey went to making a bond with each other, and also with her siblings. Unfortunately, Patricia died in 2003 and her brother, Jeffrey died in 1989. Lee and Winfrey’s connection grew and flourished from there, even so that in 1990, Winfrey brought Lee on her talk show and let her personal stylish give her a whole makeover. Lee did an interview with a Milwaukee local station, TMJ4, and talked about how she’s super proud of her daughter. “I knew Oprah was going to be something.”. Sources say that after reconnecting with Oprah, Lee left her job as a hospital dietitian and moved into a “over-the-top” condo and received $5,000 a month from her daughter.

The tragic news of Lee’s death was brought to light when Winfrey posted a photo where Lee was centered and surrounded by multiple family members, Winfrey, and even Winfrey’s longtime partner, Stedman Graham. “Thank you for all your kind words and condolences regarding my mother Vernita Lee’s passing. It gives our family great comfort knowing she lived a good life and is now at Peace.” was the caption under the Instagram post.

Rumor has it that Lee has already been laid to rest by private funeral services done by her family. Lee leaves behind her two daughters Oprah Winfrey and Patricia Amanda Faye Lee, four grand children and four great-grandchildren. It is said that if anyone is interested in giving memorial donations, the family has said to make donations out to Lee’s name to the nonprofit organization Feeding America. Lee was 83 years old.