Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father and former Nashville councilman, dead at 89

Vernon Winfrey, a former Nashville city councilman and the father of media mogul Oprah Winfrey, died Friday. He was 89.

Oprah Winfrey, 68, announced her father’s death in an Instagram post.

Vernon Winfrey, who operated an East Nashville barbershop for more than 50 years, died several days after his daughter and other family members hosted a “Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Day,” The Tennessean reported.

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“We wanted to be able to have all his friends come and celebrate him while he is able to receive the joy,” Oprah Winfrey said last week.

On Saturday morning, Oprah Winfrey said her father had “reveled” in the backyard party, which was held on the Fourth of July.

“He FELT the love and reveled in it until he could no longer speak,” Oprah Winfrey wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside I had the sacred honor of witnessing the main responsible for my life, take his last breath. 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.”

Vernon Winfrey was elected to the Nashville Metro Council in 1975, The Tennessean reported. He also served as a deacon at Faith United Missionary Baptist Church.

Vernon Winfrey was born in Mississippi and moved to Nashville after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, according to the newspaper. He worked as a janitor at Vanderbilt University before attending barber school.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Vernon Winfrey. Vernon served on Metro Council for 16 years, and dedicated his life to entrepreneurship, barbering and mentoring young men in the community. An Army veteran and deacon, he leaves behind a legacy of service. https://t.co/NLN9Lpo7oI
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) July 9, 2022

He opened Winfrey’s Barbershop in 1965, in addition to an adjacent convenience shop, according to The Tennessean. He was serving customers as recently as last year, according to the newspaper.

“No one enters or leaves without a hello and a handshake,” Vernon Winfrey said in 2018.

“I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Vernon Winfrey. Vernon served on Metro Council for 16 years and dedicated his life to entrepreneurship, barbering, and mentoring young men in the community,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said in a Twitter post. “An Army veteran and deacon, he leaves behind a legacy of service.”

Oprah Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, died in 2018, CNN reported. Lee was also born in Mississippi and gave birth to Winfrey as a young woman. Lee and Vernon Winfrey never married, the news organization reported.