Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built one of the biggest Christian broadcasting empires of the 1970s and 80s before it collapsed in scandal and prison time, has died. He was 86.
His wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death Monday evening in a post on The Jim Bakker Show’s Facebook page, saying he had devoted 66 years to preaching the Gospel and stayed committed to his ministry to the end. She asked for prayers and privacy as the family grieves. No cause of death was given.
Bakker rose to national prominence alongside his then-wife Tammy Faye Bakker as co-host of ‘The PTL Club,’ a Christian talk show that grew into a sprawling ministry. The couple founded Heritage USA, a Christian theme park in South Carolina that drew millions of visitors a year.
The empire unraveled in the late 1980s amid a sex and money scandal. Bakker was convicted of fraud and conspiracy after misusing ministry funds and selling ‘lifetime memberships’ to a hotel that was never finished. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison and served about five.
Tammy Faye divorced him while he was behind bars and later married Roe Messner. She died of cancer in 2007.
After his release, Bakker returned to television with ‘The Jim Bakker Show,’ co-hosted with Lori, built around evangelical commentary and biblical prophecy. He suffered a stroke in 2020 but kept broadcasting.
Bakker was born Jan. 2, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan. He and Tammy Faye had two children, including son Jay Bakker.
