Oprah Winfrey's father Vernon Winfrey dies aged 88

Oprah Winfrey took to social media to share the news of her father's death. Photo / Getty Images

Legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey has taken to social media to reveal her father has died.

Winfrey revealed today her father Vernon died on Friday (Saturday NZ time) aged 88 after a battle with cancer.

Oprah captioned an Instagram post: "Vernon Winfrey 1933-2022.

"Less than a week ago we honoured my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps saluted him with song. He FELT the love and revelled in it until he could no longer speak."

The 68-year-old star added: "Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside I had the sacred honour 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."

Earlier this week, Oprah had celebrated Independence Day by throwing a party in appreciation for her father.

She said: "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's parents never married and the star explained last year how she was grateful Vernon took responsibility to care for her.

She said: "I had a father who took responsibility for me, even though he knew I could have been somebody else's child.

"My mother and father never married. They had sex one time. 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."