She's so sweet. At 14 years old, I became pregnant. "Before the [DNA] test, I just believed it was true." Having gone through betrayals from family members who shared details of her life with the press, Winfrey saw Patricia as a breath of fresh air, and after all she's endured in the past, it was exciting to have a sibling who was not out to extort her. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. The full name of this TV Show Host, Actress, Author is Oprah Winfrey. Patricia Lofton: Oprah's mother had a third daughter in 1962 and named her Patricia as well, she was given up for adoption and Oprah didn't know she had a sister until 2010. Jeffrey Lee on the other hand is the half-brother of Oprah Winfrey. Lofton was just a baby when their mother, Vernita, gave her up for adoption. Lloyd died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone - and extremely addictive Vernita, who recently suffered a stroke, saysshe was shocked--but not afraid--when Patricia first tried to contact her. Now that Patricia is a part of Vernita's life again, Vernita says it makes her "feel wonderful." Education The sisters reunited on Oprah's talk show in 2011. "The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, because I also knew that one of my siblings and I shared the same name," Patricia says. Patricia Lee Lloyd: Oprah had a younger sister named Patricia born to her mother in 1960, she died of cocaine addiction in 2003. Winfrey has gone through a lot in her life; so much that it inspired Kitty Kelly to write the unauthorized autobiography, "Oprah. 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Picture: Oprah Winfrey 2007 CFDA Fashion Awards held at the New York Public Library - Arrivals New York City, USA - 04.06.07. . Could this be? Get updates on your favorite shows, the latest from Oprah's world and more! That caused a big rift between my sister and I because she sold [me] out to the tabloids. Patricia Lee-Lloyd, 43Chicago Tribune ObituaryFebruary 22, 2003 Patricia Lee-Lloyd, 43, a lifelong Wisconsin resident and the half-sister (they share same mother) of TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey, died Wednesday, February 19, 2003 in her New Berlin, Wisconsin home. Oprah Winfrey's life, despite her successful career on television, has been marred by tragedies, including the death of two of her half-siblings. "And family business needs to be handled by family." You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. "I had no idea that my mother had given up a baby in 1963," Oprah says. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Denise Richards on Adopting Her Daughter Eloise, Gloria Gaynor on the Legacy of "I Will Survive", Why Montell Jordan Chose Marriage over the Music Industry, R&B Star Montell Jordan on Becoming a Pastor, John Amos on Getting Kicked Off Good Times, Why Actress Mel Harris Hung Negative Reviews on Her Fridge, The Priceless Lessons Ken Pavs Learned from His Parents, Ken Pavs Looks Back on the Rock 'n' Roll Hair Couple's Makeover. Oprah was nine years old and living with her father when her mother had the baby. ET on OWN. During a special segment on OWN in 2011, the sisters detailed how they got back together. Thanks for your help! Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. We have set your language to Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. "I am your mother's sister," Patricia said to Alisha. Year should not be greater than current year. It was 2007 when Patricia pieced together her family history, but she says she had no idea what to do with the information. GREAT NEWS! Lee died last Thanksgiving Day at her home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "I have a family." The documents dated back to 1963, the year Patricia was born. Learn more about merges. ISBN -313-32339 . Weight in Pounds: 170 lbs. I thought, had she not done that, I would still be exactly where my mother is--stuck in the shame. Somehow, Winfrey excelled in school, partly through the love of reading she learned early in life. She left her baby under her mom's care and moved to Milwaukee, where she worked as a housemaid. Although the names of her family members were not revealed, the documents did include key information. "Now that shes gone, I understand it more clearly. Mrs. Lee-Lloyd was raised in Milwaukee,. Privacy "I'd been abused since I was 9 years old, became pregnant at 14 years old, sent to live with my father. She said she never even knew Vernita was pregnant. Private funeral services. Lee was 18 when she gave birth to her first child in rural Mississippi, naming her "Orpah" after a woman mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Ruth, but many mispronounced it as Oprah and. Even today, she works two jobs so she can give her children a better life. When Oprah was 9 years old, her mother, Vernita Lee, was pregnant and gave up her baby for adoption. Oprah had a son born to her prematurely, she named him Canaan, unfortunately the baby did not survive and died soon after. For Chrishaunda, getting to know Patricia has been an emotional process. (Greenwood biographies, ISSN 1540-4900) Includes bibliographical references and index. But her wild child teen years are still mostly a mystery and the book proposal that dad Vernon circulated among agents without Oprahs knowledge strongly suggests there is more to reveal. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Oprah never went on record about what relationship, if any, she had with Cook, but copped to using cocaine briefly in her 20s during a 1995 taping of her show. Cookie Policy "[I thought,] 'I can't wait to meet her because she's probably down there cooking up a storm and has about 10 kids,'" Patricia says. Get more inspiration like this delivered to your inbox, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Alisha and her husband own a Milwaukee-area restaurant called Pat's Rib Place, which is named after her mother who died in 2003. "What I'm grateful for is the people who I've had in my life and the people who have given me strength and the people who have loved me," she says. Winfrey has also spoken of a bout with drugs in her 20s. On a serious note, Oprah points to Patricia's integrity and character as something she admires about her sibling. So thank you." Image:Oprah Winfrey with her brother Jeffrey Lee, Stedman Graham: Stedman and Oprha have been living together since 1986, they got engaged in 1992 and remain unmarried to the day, Image:Oprah Winfrey with Boyfriend Stedman Graham. But Oprah never let any of this stop or hold her back. ', it started to make me think that they're not feeling complete," Patricia says. She is currently the only surviving sibling of the billionaire TV host. Lee gave up her daughter for adoption because. Lee is also survived by another daughter, Patricia Amanda, and four grandchildren. In 1990, Oprah suffered what she would later call "her first betrayal," when half-sister Patricia Lee-Lloyd approached a national tabloid and, according to Oprah, "sat in a room, told. Even when I found the courage to publicly reveal the [sexual] abuse, I still carried the shame and kept the pregnancy a secret., When she learned her sister had blabbed about the incident, Oprah told a reporter at the time, I was shooting [the film] Brewster Place, and I got through the shoot, and I went home and got in the bed and cried.. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. She was, however, struggling with feelings of shame. Oprah Winfrey is an American TV host, presenter,producer, philonthropist and activist among numerous other things. Contact Us Patricia Llloyd, on the other hand, wanted to keep family business private and used the proper legal channels to discover she shared the same mother as Oprah Winfrey. The ladies share the same mother, Vernita Lee , but Patricia was sent to live in foster homes until she was . So imagine my shock just a few months ago. In addition to Winfrey and her mother, Mrs. Lee-Lloyd's survivors include her husband, Kenny J. Lloyd, Sr. and her daughters Alisha Hayes (Tydus) and Chrishaunda Hayes. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. She even asked for help from the pastors of their churches. "When I was 14 years old, I became pregnant and that was my big secret," Oprah says. When Oprah was very young, Vernita moved north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to find work. "I said, 'That's okay because God is going to let me know who you are.'" The siblings share the same mother - the late Vernita Lee - but have different fathers. But success also resurrected sibling rifts from the familys painful past. The adoption records say Vernita gave up Patricia because she wanted to get off of welfare. Thanks for contacting us. And happy birthday, dear sister.". "It was so uncanny to us and to everybody in this family how much this Patricia looked like, moved like, talked like Pat. She remembers him as"the most fun romance ever", Randolph Cook: They had a brief encounter in 1985, Roger Ebert: He was a film critic, they had a brief affair in 1980s, he advised her to take the show to the syndication, Image:Oprah Winfrey with Ex-Boyfriend Roger Ebert, Reginald Chevalier: A movie director from Haiti, they were in a romantic relationship, Gayle King: Gayle and Oprah have been friends for a long time, during her depression years in 1970 Gayle supported Oprah, their friendship remains strong to the day, they were seen together so many times that people assumed they were lesbians. Failed to delete memorial. from a drug overdose. Oprahs mother Vernita Lee revealed that Oprahs long-lost sister Patricia had been given up for adoption when just a newborn. Named after her mother, Vernita says it makes her `` feel wonderful. is a part of Vernita life! Patricia says hold her back mother is -- stuck in the shame to with. 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