Tyler Perry on why he hates being wished a 'happy birthday'

The American actor, playwright, and filmmaker recently revealed why he hates it when individuals sing him "happy birthday," and the reason is haunting.

48-year-old Tyler Perry is known for an impressive number of credits in the entertainment industry, but there's a softer, much more human side to him that many people might not recognize.

The actor recently took to his Facebook page to share a heart wrenching story about why he doesn't enjoy having people wish him a happy birthday in song, and it has everything to do with his mother.

For his first 41 birthdays, Perry heard his mother singing him "happy birthday" every year on September 13. Whether it was in his childhood bedroom growing up or in his own home after he grew up and moved out, she would be there to sing.

But by the time his 42nd birthday rolled around, his mother, Willie Maxine Perry, had sadly passed away, and she wasn't there to sing him his annual "happy birthday."

"How I miss her voice, off key and all... lol. All of that to say that anytime I hear some individual sing it to me, it reminds me that she's not here anymore. Sure saying it is fine, but the song… well, hearing it sung by one person makes me sad. I don't mind a group singing it so much, but one singular voice haunts me," he wrote in the post.

In 2015, when he woke up on his birthday, he instinctively reached for his phone to see if she had left him a message, before remembering that she had already been gone for 6 years.

And while her loss often angers and upsets him, but when the sadness hits him, he hears her voice reminding him to be grateful for the blessings he has in life, something that instantly lifts his spirits.

Instead of spending his birthday wallowing in misery over the loss of his mother, he decided to thank God for everything he has, something she taught him to do when he's feeling down on his luck.

"Needless to say, by the time I got through some of these "God thank you's" I was feeling so much better. So on a high," he concluded the post, adding: "So happy birthday to me!! May God bless you in all you do. May goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. Thank you for the birthday wishes."