Willie Maxine Perry, the mother of Tyler Perry and his inspiration behind the character Madea, passed away at 64 years old.
Tyler Perry announced the news on his website Tuesday afternoon saying:
“Willie Maxine Perry, February 12, 1945 to December 8, 2009. Thank you for all your prayers.” He wrote the message with a picture of himself posing with her on the red carpet at the “Madea’s Family Reunion.”
According to the ‘Atlanta Journal-Constitution,’ Perry has said in the past that he based his most popular creation of the wise old lady named Madea…on his mother. The 40-year-old writer/director/producer has spent the last decade portraying the character in drag and inserting her into his work such as “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea Goes to Jail,” the recent “I Can Do Bad All by Myself” and his hit TV show “House of Payne.”
Tyler Perry has said in the past that he and his siblings were physically abused by their father, Emmett R. Perry Sr., and that his mother endured a great deal of that abuse as well.
The Journal-Constitution reports that Willie had been sick since last August. She was a preschool teacher who had worked at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center.
Photos by Wenn.com
