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From AJC.com

Movie producer Tyler Perry announced on his Web site that his mother, Willie Maxine Perry, died Tuesday.

She was 64.

“Thank you for all your prayers,” Perry said on the “e-mail messages from Tyler” section of his online site tylerperry.com.

Perry said he based his most popular — and notorious — character, Madea, partially on his mom.

“My mother is the wisdom of Madea,” Perry said in a 2006 AJC interview.

According to the FaceBook page “Please Pray for Mother Maxine Perry — Tyler’s Mom,” she has been sick since late August, although no details about an ailment was mentioned.

Maxine Perry was a pre-school teacher who worked at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center most of her life.

Return to AJC.com for more information.