Tyler Perry, prompted by tWitch’s death, reflects on suicide attempts
"I'm a living witness you can make it through it,” Perry shared.
Media mogul Tyler Perry spoke about his past suicide attempts and offered advice to others struggling in an Instagram video reacting to the recent death of Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
tWitch, who died by suicide at age 40 on Dec. 14, was a DJ on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and known by fans for his smile and infectious energy.
In the video, Perry said that like many others, he was “shocked” by tWitch’s death.
“He was always full of life, it seemed like, such a light,” Perry said of tWitch, after noting that he was only able to meet him “a couple of times.”
The 52-year-old actor continued to open up about the “dark” times he has overcome on his journey to finding peace, having previously attempted to end his own life multiple times.
“I just want to take you back to a time in my life when I tried to commit suicide, a couple of times, because it was so dark I didn’t think it would get any better,” Perry said. “I had endured so much pain, so much abuse, sexual abuse, it was all so hard to just move through that I thought the only way to make this better was to end my life.”
He continued: “Had any of those attempts happened, I would’ve missed the best part of my life.”
Perry encouraged others experiencing emotional distress, hopelessness or suicide ideation to reach out for help, adding that he was able to process his pain by viewing it as a temporary challenge on the path toward happiness.
He shared that he is now “the happiest I’ve ever been,” and leads a life “full of joy and love, things I never thought I’d get to.”
“If you are a person who’s considering suicide, ending your life, you’ve already been through a lot of hell, please, please, please, think about what the other side could be. It could be amazing,” Perry urged. “Don’t let the darkness stop you from getting to this incredible place of life.”
The actor left viewers with the message that his story is a testament to the possibility of overcoming suicidal ideation, and that he is thankful to still be alive.
“I’m a living witness you can make it through it. I’m so glad my attempts didn’t work. I’m still alive,” he said. “The best part of my life, and I would’ve missed it had I decided to end it. Well I did, but, it didn’t work.”
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