Tyler Perry's Mother, Inspiration for Madea, Dies

Tyler Perry's mother, who was the inspiration for his popular character Madea, has died. She was 64.
"Willie Maxine Perry. February 12, 1945 to December 8, 2009. Thank you for all your prayers," read a post on Perry's website.

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He did not disclose the cause of his mother's death. A rep for Perry was not immediately available for comment.Maxine Perry was a preschool teacher in New Orleans and, along with Perry's aunt, served as the basis for the aggressive, gun-toting Madea character in his films.

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"My mother is the wisdom of Madea, but my aunt Mayola, that's her wig, that's her voice, that's her gun in the purse," Perry, 40, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2006. "Madea is the PG-rated version of Mayola."