Tyler Perry Recounts Abusive Past
Director/actor/producer Tyler Perry has written an emotional letter on his website about his extremely abusive childhood.
The successful filmmaker said the film "Precious" took him back to his horrific childhood. "It took me through some raw emotions and brought me to some things and places in my life that I needed to deal with but had long forgotten," Perry wrote. He executive produced the powerful film with Oprah Winfrey.
In the letter, Perry revealed, "As I child I always thought I would die before I grew up." Perry recounted the stories about how his father beat him until his was 19.
"My father came home, mad at the world," he said. "He was drunk, as he was most of the time. He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back."
Perry was "always sick" as a child and had asthma. He would have to go to the doctor weekly to get shots to control his allergies but his grandmother believed it was a waste of money and he just had "germs." Perry's grandmother decided to "kill the germs" by bathing Tyler in ammonia.
Perry also suffered sexual abuse. He was seduced by a friend's mother at age 10 and molested by another friend's father.
The 40-year-old says learning to forgive is the lesson. Perry wrote, "I choose to forgive with all my might. Forgiveness has been my weapon of choice. It has helped to free me."
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