End of an era for Oprah, fans

In the end, it was just Oprah.

For the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped Tuesday, the talk show queen appeared alone on her Chicago stage, talking to viewers about what they've meant to her during the show's 25-year run. The finale will air today.

Fans leaving the taping said Winfrey had tears in her eyes as the television icon said a final thank you.

"She said, 'This isn't goodbye. This is until we meet again,' " said Amy Korin, 32, of Chicago, who was in the audience.

Winfrey then kissed and hugged her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, and made her way through the halls of Harpo Studios, saying goodbye to her staff, audience members said. She kept saying, "We did it! We did it!" Korin said, and giving employees high-fives.

There was a single chair on the stage, but Winfrey stood most of the time, audience members said.

"A lot of crying and hugs, crying and hugs," Korin said.

The bare-bones final taping had its share of celebrities in the audience including Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson, but none of them joined Winfrey on stage.

Hundreds of giddy fans struck by their luck at getting tickets for the final show had gathered outside Winfrey's television studio in Chicago Tuesday morning.

Sarah Cranley, 32, of Chicago waited in line with her mother, who traveled from Pittsburgh for the taping. Cranley said she felt very lucky to snag tickets to the last show and the prospect of seeing Winfrey live didn't yet feel real.

"You think about how many billions of people around the world watch her and want to be here," Cranley said. "What are the odds?"