As she was joined by her friend Gayle King at the party, Oprah showed footage of her father sitting in a barber chair.

“My dad is a barber so we put him in the barber chair,” she said.

Speaking with People in 2021, Oprah expressed appreciation for her father.

“I had a father who took responsibility for me, even though he knew I could have been somebody else’s child,” she told People.

The 68-year-old said her parents never married, but Vernon found a surprise news after a brief encounter with the woman who became the mother of his child.

“They had sex one time.” Oprah said. “He gets a letter after I’m born saying, ‘Send money. You have a daughter.’ And the reason he did, he said, is because it could have been him. And the responsibility that he took for me, not just a responsibility but care and love and direction and support as a young teenage girl, is the thing that made the difference in me being who I am now or somebody you would have never, ever heard of.”

According to NBC News, Vernon worked  as a Nashville city councilman for 16 years. He was also the owner of Winfrey Barber & Beauty.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper offered his condolences in a tweet.

“Vernon served on Metro Council for 16 years, and dedicated his life to entrepreneurship, barbering and mentoring young men in the community,” Cooper tweeted. “An Army veteran and deacon, he leaves behind a legacy of service.”

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Vernon Winfrey. Vernon served on Metro Council for 16 years, and dedicated his life to entrepreneurship, barbering and mentoring young men in the community. An Army veteran and deacon, he leaves behind a legacy of service. https://t.co/NLN9Lpo7oI

— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) July 9, 2022