Tyler Perry Pleas for the Black Community to Take COVID-19 Seriously After His Hairdresser Dies
One of Tyler Perry's longtime hairdressers has died of the novel coronavirus
Tyler Perry has a passionate plea for his community after the death of one of his crew members.
The director, writer and actor posted a lengthy message on Instagram announcing the death of Charles Gregory, a hairdresser that had worked with Perry and his production company for years. According to Perry, Gregory died after contracting the coronavirus.
“The man was warm, loving and hilarious. We all loved to see him coming and hear his laughter. Charles lost his battle with COVID-19 today. It saddens me to think of him dying this way. My sincerest prayers are with his family,” Perry wrote at the beginning of his note.
Perry, 50, went on to address the black community, laying out an emotional and strong ask for everyone to start taking the pandemic seriously.
“While everyone can contract this virus it is black people who are dying from it in much larger numbers. This thing is real, black people,” Perry wrote. “I heard a black person say, ‘Black people don’t get it.’ That is a lie! You can get it, and you will get it if we don’t do what we’re being told to do. A 26 year old black woman died the other day, a 44 year old black man died the other day, not to mention the hundreds of people that are dying every few minutes. Your age does not matter!! Your health does not matter. You could be totally healthy, and you could die!”
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“I love us all too much to watch us die on the vine because we are the last to know and we are not taking this pandemic seriously,” Perry continued. “Black people, we are at a disproportionately higher risk of dying from this virus. Please, please, please, I beg you to take this seriously. You have to socially distance yourself. That means stop hanging out, stop congregating, stop doing anything that will put not only your life in danger but also the lives of so many others.
STAY HOME!! Socially distance yourself and stay alive! If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for someone you love, and for those who love you.”
Perry has been actively giving back to his community in the midst of the crisis. He recently surprised elderly shoppers across two states by covering the cost of their groceries, PEOPLE exclusively learned.
RELATED: Tyler Perry Pays for All Groceries for the Elderly at 73 Stores Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
The TV and movie mogul, 50, paid for the groceries of all elderly shoppers at 44 Kroger stores in Atlanta, Georgia, his hometown state, as well as 29 Winn Dixie stores in his native New Orleans during the hour reserved for older customers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“He wanted to do something special to provide immediate relief for some of the most vulnerable in the two cities he considers home,” a source told PEOPLE.
His act of kindness came after Perry gave $21,000 in tips for workers at an Atlanta restaurant while picking up takeout, PEOPLE previously confirmed.
As of April 8, there have been at least 397,754 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 12,956 deaths from coronavirus-related illness.
Worldwide, there are now 1,446,242 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 83,424 deaths.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. To help provide doctors and nurses on the front lines with life-saving medical resources, donate to Direct Relief here.