Tyler Perry - Perry: 'I Was Beaten And Molested As A Child'

Actor/director TYLER PERRY has opened up about his horrific childhood - confessing he was beaten, abused and molested by some family members and neighbours.

The Madea Goes To Jail filmmaker is preparing for the release of Precious, a movie he co-produced with Oprah Winfrey about an abused teenage girl.

Working on the film, as well as turning 40, has prompted the star to reveal the dark secrets of his past,

In a candid letter to fans on his official website, Perry writes, "I'm tired of holding this in. I don't know what to do with it anymore, so, I've decided to give some of it away."

Recalling how he was "mercilessly" beaten by his drunken father over his love of reading and writing, he claims he was told, "You f**king jackass! You got book sense but you ain't got no mothaf**ken common sense (sic)! You ain't s**t and ain't never gonna be sh*t!"

Perry adds: "I heard this every day of my childhood. He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back. To this day, I don't know what would make a person do something like that to a child."

The star also reveals his aunt threatened to shoot his father after one particularly bad beating but was dragged away by her husband.

He also alleges his paternal grandmother mocked him for his allergies, telling him he was riddled with "germs" and bathing him in ammonia - and insists he was molested by a man whose family later asked him to pay for his funeral.

He adds, "I quickly said no, but I wish I would have said yes. There is something so powerful to me in burying the man that molested me. I would have dug the grave myself."