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Oprah Winfrey is supported by best friend Gayle King at her father Vernon’s funeral after his final moments revealed
GRIEVING Oprah Winfrey was supported by her best friend Gayle King at her father Vernon's funeral on Thursday.
The beloved TV star revealed her last moments with Vernon, a Nashville politician and businessman, after he died on Friday at the age of 89 following a cancer battle.
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His funeral was held on Thursday at the Temple Church in Nashville, Tennessee, which was well attended.
There was also a Lie In State where Vernon was honored on Wednesday at the Robert E. Lewis Memorial Chapel.
Oprah broke the news of her father's passing on Instagram this past Saturday.
She wrote: "Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard.
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"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.
"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.
"That Peace still abides. All is well. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts."
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Gayle King, longtime friend of Oprah and host on CBS Mornings, shared how Oprah had been spending the past several weeks in Nashville with her father.
Oprah surprised her father on July 4 with a "Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Celebration" before he passed.
"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," Oprah said on Instagram.
Besides being Oprah's father, Vernon was a member of Nashville's Metro City Council and a longtime barber shop owner.
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Vernon was inducted into the National Barber Hall of Fame for his 56 years as a master barber.
He was also a charter member of Faith United Missionary Baptist Church and served as a deacon for 45 years, according to.
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