Source: Michael Kovac / Getty
Friends, family, loved ones and fans from all over the world sent their love to Oprah Winfrey in the wake of her mother’s passing.
Oprah’s mom, Venitra Lee, died on Thanksgiving at the age of 83.
“Thank you all for your kind words and condolences regarding my mother Vernita Lee’s passing,” Winfrey wrote on an Instagram post.
“It gives our family great comfort knowing she lived a good life and is now at Peace.”
Thank you all for 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.??✝️
A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) on Nov 26, 2018 at 12:12pm PST
Oprah’s family life comes with a complex history. In 2011, Winfrey revealed she learned her mother had given up a daughter, Patricia, for adoption at birth.
“For the most part, my life has been an open book,” Winfrey said about the discovery. “I thought nothing could surprise me, but I was wrong.”
Winfrey had many revelations upon reuniting with her sister, including ones about the guilt her own mother carried about the decision.
“[My mother] is still carrying the shame that would have been put upon her in 1963, and therefore, she hasn’t been able to release herself to fully embrace [Patricia] and embrace this miracle that has really happened in our family,” she said at the time.
“You can let that go. You can let the shame go. There are millions of people all over this country who are just like you, who have given up their children because they knew at the time that they could not provide the best for them. So, Vernita, you can let that go.”
Vernita was laid to rest in a private ceremony, according to family spokesperson.
