Deadpan Departure

As a kid, Tyler Perry didn't have much to laugh about. He grew up amid poverty and abuse. Later, he was so poor that he lived in his car.

Ironically, those difficult experiences provided fodder for his career as a successful playwright, New York Times best-selling author, comedian and actor. That includes his role as Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a mouthy, gun-toting senior citizen with no filter. She's Perry's creation, a PG version of his mother and his aunt, who debuted in 1999.

Perry is at the end of his run as the wacky character. But, before she fades from the limelight, he's embarking on Madea's Farewell Tour, which stops at the James L. Knight Center in Miami on Feb. 8 & 9. (She'll make her final appearance in the film "Madea's Family Funeral," which will be released March 1.)

Perry is a successful megastar, but his thriving career isn't his biggest triumph.

"My biggest success is getting over the things that have tried to destroy and take me out of this life," he writes on his website. "Those are my biggest successes. It has nothing to do with work."

And he's a philanthropist. Among his kind deeds: He paid off the layaway tab for customers at two Atlanta Walmart stores last Christmas.

Notes his website: "His unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor continues to shape his inspiring life story, connecting with fans across the globe and always leaving space to dream." O

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