oprah Winfrey was helped out of her private jet on Friday Californiareturning from her father Vernon’s funeral in Nashville.
Winfrey, 68, was seen alone except for her beloved dog, although she was accompanied to the funeral by best friend Gayle King and her partner Stedman Graham.
Wearing a matching white tracksuit, the media icon appeared to wave at the cameras at least once as she stepped off the plane.
She eventually got into a car, which drove her away, and both Oprah and her dog stared out the window as they left.
Vernon Winfrey was battling cancer, and his daughter gave him a heartfelt surprise party to honor his life over the Independence Day holiday before his death.
Oprah Winfrey was seen helping out from her private jet in California on Friday, returning from her father Vernon’s funeral
Winfrey, 68, was seen alone except for her beloved dog, although she was accompanied to the funeral by best friend Gayle King and her partner Stedman Graham
Airplane crew helped get Oprah off the plane
The media legend appeared to be alone except for her pooch
Oprah brought several bags off the jet as her staff helped her
Winfrey had surprised her father days before his death with a party celebrating him
The media icon appeared to wave to the cameras at least once as she stepped off the plane
Oprah is led into the car by some of the private jet staff
Oprah and her dog stared out the window as they drove away in their car
The TV personality’s father owned a hair salon and was a Nashville City Councilman during his lifetime.
The 68-year-old uploaded a tribute post on her Instagram earlier on Saturday with a heartfelt caption following the news of his death.
“Yesterday, as my family stood around his bedside, I had the sacred honor of witnessing the man responsible for my life draw his last breath,” the media mogul wrote. “We could feel peace entering the room at his death.”
Oprah wrote, “Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps greeted him with a song.”
“He FELT the love and reveled in it until he couldn’t speak anymore,” she added, expressing that her father knew how much people loved and appreciated him.
Sad news: Oprah Winfrey’s father, Vernon Winfrey, has died at the age of 88 after a battle with cancer; Oprah with Vernon in 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee
Vernon Winfrey, father of Oprah Winfrey, sits on one of the chairs in his barber shop in Nashville, Tennessee in 1987
Honoring him: The 68-year-old TV personality recently surprised her father with a heartfelt surprise party to honor his life over the Independence Day holiday
“We could feel peace entering the room at his death. That peace still exists. All is well. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts,” the star said at the end.
Commenters expressed their condolences on the post, with the Oprah Daily saying, “Rest in peace Mr. Winfrey. What a beautiful tribute personally and through the written word.”
Although the type of cancer Vernon was battling was not released to the public, the business owner had a chance to be surrounded by friends and family over the holiday weekend.
Memorable Moment: During the celebration, gospel singer Wintley Phipps sang a song to her father
Honored Guest: Vernon sat in a barber chair at the heart of the party to honor his work as the owner of a successful Nashville hair salon
Oprah, 68, planned a backyard barbecue in his honor and dubbed the celebration Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Day.
In a video uploaded to her Instagram page, the talk show host explained what the event was all about.
She stated that she was throwing the party “because my father is sick. So we wanted all of his friends to come and celebrate him while he got the joy.
Special day: She shared photos from the special July 4th celebration on her Instagram
Big surprise: The talk show host explained that her father, Vernon, thought the party was a simple Fourth of July celebration and had no idea the event was meant to honor him
“To give my father his ‘flowers’ while he’s still well enough to smell them. Happy 4th of July gathering with your family and friends. Remember to celebrate each other,” Oprah typed, captioning the video.
Corresponding TMZVernon owned the Winfrey Barber & Beauty Shop for over 50 years.
A company employee expressed to the publication how caring and loyal Oprah’s father was. ‘Vernon would give you the shirt off his back.’
Father-daughter duo: The star had a strong love for her father and was pictured holding a microphone so he could say a few words during the Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Day party
Big day: Oprah and her friend Gayle King, 67, pose together in front of the Vernon Winfrey Appreciation poster
During the July 4th event, Oprah expressed how her father was one of her biggest inspirations and how he was a character she looked up to.
She explained that he “brought honor to your life and honor to my life,” according to the publication.
Oprah spent her early childhood in her father’s hometown of Kosciusko, Mississippi, and in Milwaukee with her mother, Vernita Lee, who died in 2018. However, she also lived with her father in Nashville between the ages of 7 and 9 and during her teenage years.
“If I hadn’t been sent to live with my father (when I was 14), I would have gone in a different direction,” Oprah told the Washington Post in 1986. “I could have made a good criminal. I would have used the same instincts differently.’
