Thu | Sep 11, 2025

Oprah Winfrey's mother has died

Published:Monday | November 26, 2018 | 12:00 AM
This image released by Harpo Inc. shows media mogul Oprah Winfrey, right, with her mother Vermita Lee.-Via AP

Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, has died at the age of 83.

A Winfrey spokeswoman today issued a statement saying Lee died at her Milwaukee home on November 22. The spokeswoman says private funeral services were held. No other details were provided.

Lee was a teenager when she gave birth to Winfrey in Mississippi in 1954. They moved to Milwaukee when Winfrey was six-years-old.

Lee was featured getting a makeover on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1990.

Lee is also survived by another daughter, Patricia Amanda, and four grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, Jeffrey, and by a daughter, Patricia.

-Associated Press