Oprah Winfrey’s Mum, Vernita Lee, Dies @ 83

Oprah Winfrey’s mother Vernita Lee has died in her home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thanksgiving Day. She was 83.

A spokeswoman for the TV mogul issued a statement saying Lee died on November 22. The spokeswoman said private funeral services have already been held. No other details were provided.

Lee was a teenager when she gave birth to Winfrey in Mississippi in 1954. She moved to Milwaukee and worked as a housekeeper, with Winfrey’s maternal grandmother raising her until she was six years old. She then moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother.