Oprah Winfrey is remembering her late brother, Jeffrey Lee.
On Tuesday, June 4, the talk show host veteran, 70, shared a heartfelt message on Oprah Daily in honor of Pride Month, speaking about her sibling who passed away from AIDS at the young age of 29 during the height of the HIV epidemic in the United States.
“It was 35 years ago that my younger brother Jeffrey Lee died from AIDS,” Winfrey said. “He was 29 years old. The year was 1989 and the world was an extremely cruel place, not just for people suffering from AIDS, but also for LGBTQ people in general.”
She added, “I often think if he’d lived he’d be so amazed at how much the world has changed, that there actually is gay marriage and a Pride Month.”
“How different his life might have been had he lived in these times,” Winfrey continued. “In a world that saw and appreciated him for who he was rather than attempting to shame him for his sexuality.”
The media mogul went on to say that she believes everyone “has the right to love,” adding that she hopes people are “living a life that feels authentic to you” and that she hopes one has the “support around to do so.”
On the Oprah Daily Instagram account, Winfrey wrote, “I wish for you the continued freedom to rise to your truest highest expression of yourself as a human being.”
Winfrey’s message follows her honoring her late brother at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards in March. She received the Vanguard Award in recognition of her support in “promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues,” GLAAD announced before the ceremony.
“At the time, I didn’t know how deeply my brother internalized the shame he felt about being gay,” she said while accepting the honor. “I wish he could have lived to witness these liberated times and be here with me tonight.”
During her speech, she also revealed that Jeffrey inspired The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran from September 1986 to May 2011.
“All the years of the Oprah show for me were about sharing stories that actually helped people be more of their authentic selves and I know that that is the truest form of what it means to be free,” Winfrey recounted. “To have personal freedom. To be able to fully be who you are. To have the truest expression of yourself as a human being.”
