Tyler Perry Opens up About Past Suicidal Thoughts in Wake of Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' Death
The world is still trying to process the loss of Stephen "tWitch" Boss. What happened in the days leading up to tWitch's death is not yet known. But his Instagram posts were filled with dance videos and family moments. Just four days before his death, he celebrated his 9th wedding anniversary to Allison Hoker. Two days before his passing, the couple posted a video of them dancing in front of their Christmas tree. What came next shocked the world. TMZ reports that Hoker ran into an LAPD station frantic on Dec. 13, stressing that tWitch left without his car and wouldn't answer her calls. She said it was out of character for him and something was wrong. A 911 call from a motel days a 14-minute walk from their family home came in hours later to report a man had been found dead by a housekeeper in his room after he missed checkout. A coroner confirmed tWitch died of a single gunshot wound to the head. Amid his death, millions around the world are discussing mental health. Some are even sharing their own past thoughts of suicide, including Tyler Perry.
"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," he said in an Instagram video. "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. Had any of those attempts happened, I would've missed the best part of my life."
Perry wants anyone struggling to reach out for help. No matter how dim one's circumstances are, Perry says it's a trap to stay in those thoughts.
"What I realize now, looking back on all those dark times is, sometimes the pain is a buy-in. I know that's hard to understand. Not all the time — sometimes — the pain is a buy-in," he explained. "That's the way I had to learn to look at it to get through it. What I mean by that is, all that pain, all that hell, all that struggle, if I had given up, if I had stopped, I wouldn't have seen the better part of my life. I was buying into something, I was paying for something."
Perry added: "I know that doesn't make sense to a lot of people but for me, it was the way I was able to rationalize it, to be able to move through the pain, knowing that if I could just get through this moment, there's got to be something better."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.
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