Writer, producer, director Tyler Perry is mourning the death of his mother. The Madea star took to his website to announce the death of his mother on Tuesday. Willie Maxine Perry — a preschool teacher at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center — was 64.

Perry, 40, simply posted his mother’s full name, birth date and the date of her death with a photo of the two at the Los Angeles premiere of Madea’s Family Reunion in 2006.

“Thank you for all your prayers,” Tyler wrote without explaining the cause of his mom’s passing.

In a 2006 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perry identified his mother as the inspiration for his most popular character, Madea.