'I wish he could have lived': Oprah Winfrey remembers brother who lost his life to AIDS while accepting Vanguard Award

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to her late brother Jeffrey Lee as she was honored with the Vanguard Award at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards.

PEOPLE reported that Lee lost his life to AIDS in 1989. He was 29 when he died.

Oprah Winfrey got emotional while speaking about her brother

Winfrey shared on Thursday, March 14, “Many people don't know this, but 35 years ago, my brother, Jeffrey Lee, passed away when he was just 29 years old from AIDS.”

“Growing up at the time we did, in the community we did, we didn't have the language to understand or speak about sexuality and gender in the way we do now,” she stated.

The 70-year-old media proprietor further explained, “At the time, I didn't know how deeply my brother internalized the shame he felt about being gay. I wish he could have lived to witness these liberated times and be here with me tonight.”

She went on to say, “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.”

“To have personal freedom. To be able to fully be who you are. To have the truest expression of yourself as a human being,” Winfrey added.

Oprah Winfrey expressed her gratitude toward GLAAD

The television producer received the award “for championing allyship and making a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues,” GLAAD revealed in a press release.

Winfrey acknowledged the recognition as in her acceptance speech, she mentioned, “I'm so grateful to be able to work with GLAAD to make sure we get it right along the way because this is what I know, I know, I know for sure- because when we can see one another, truly see one another, when we are open to supporting the truth of a fellow human, it makes for a full, rich, vibrant life for us all.”

David Archuleta points out the importance of LGBTQ+ community 

‘Fellow Travelers’ was also honored on Thursday night as the show was awarded for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

Its producer Robbie Rogers told the Los Angeles magazine, “It was special having our cast and producers and directors and a number of people [who are] part of the LGBTQ community.”

Producer Ron Nyswaner added, “Our show has several LGBTQ characters played by several out LGBTQ actors, which is kind of groundbreaking in some ways. And we are doing it to inspire and encourage and show our level of gratitude to our community.”

Besides, singer David Archuleta was recognized as an Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist as he noted, “It’s easy to overlook how much the LGBTQ+ community has contributed to the arts and entertainment. So to be able to see everybody and recognize what they’ve done, the influence that they’ve had on culture … is pretty fun to see and recognize.”