Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built a Christian television empire with his former wife Tammy Faye Bakker, has died at 86.
Bakker’s wife, Lori Bakker, announced that he died Monday evening, saying he had devoted 66 years to preaching the Gospel and remained committed to his ministry until his final days.
Lori described Jim as her husband and best friend while asking supporters to pray for the family and respect their privacy as they grieve. His cause of death has not been disclosed.
Bakker became a major television figure in the 1970s as co-host of “The PTL Club,” the Christian program he launched with Tammy Faye. The couple also founded Heritage USA, a Christian theme park in South Carolina that became part of their growing ministry empire.
But the operation eventually collapsed amid a major sex and financial scandal in the late 1980s.
Bakker was convicted of fraud and conspiracy after prosecutors accused him of misusing ministry funds and selling “lifetime memberships” to a hotel that was never completed. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison but ultimately served about five years.
His time behind bars did not end his career in Christian broadcasting.
After his release, Bakker returned to television and later launched “The Jim Bakker Show” with Lori. The program focused on Christianity, biblical prophecy and current events, allowing Bakker to rebuild a public platform decades after the collapse of his original ministry.
His personal life had also changed significantly.
Tammy Faye divorced Jim while he was incarcerated and later married Roe Messner. She died of cancer in 2007. Jim and Tammy Faye had two children together, including their son Jay Bakker.
For decades, Bakker’s name remained tied to one of the most dramatic rises and falls in American televangelism — from a booming Christian television empire to prison, followed by a return to the screen and ministry.
Jim Bakker was 86.
