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Televangelist Jim Bakker, who rose to fame with the “The PTL Club” TV show before admitting to a sexual encounter with a church clerk and being convicted of financial crimes, has died at the age of 86.
Bakker’s second wife Lori said Jim passed away on Monday. His cause of death is unclear, and it comes after Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020.
“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening,” Lori Bakker said in a statement. “For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry.
“Jim loved people deeply. He loved this ministry, and he loved the friends and partners who stood with him throughout the years. Even in his final days, his heart was still for the work of God and for the Gospel to continue reaching the world,” she added.
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Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, where he met his first wife, Tammy Faye. They married in 1961 and dropped out of college to start their own traveling ministry. He preached, while she sang and played the accordion as they crossed the country visiting churches and tent revivals.
“In the 1960s, he joined the Christian Broadcasting Network under the direction of Pat Robertson. Jim developed one of the first daily, one-hour, kids’ shows for Christians called ‘Come On Over,'” read a biography of Bakker on his website. “He also later became the first host of a ground-breaking talk show called ‘The 700 Club,’ featuring many of the top ministers and singers of the day.”
Bakker then left CBN in 1972 and two years later formed the PTL Satellite Network. “The PTL Club” — with PTL standing for “Praise the Lord” — became its signature show.
During the peak of its popularity in the 1980s, “The PTL Club” was drawing millions of viewers and bringing in millions of dollars annually from followers, according to The Associated Press. The show was based around chats with guests and Christian entertainers, with Bakker offering upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye singing.
Their ministry also included the Christian-based Heritage USA theme park and hotel in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
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However, Bakker’s empire began to unravel in March 1987 when he admitted to a sexual encounter with church clerk Jessica Hahn, forcing him to turn over operations to pastor and broadcaster Jerry Falwell.
In 1988, Bakker was indicted for mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy after an investigation of PTL’s finances. He was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison, though the sentence was later reduced to eight years.
At a news conference after Bakker was found guilty, Tammy Faye stood in front of the microphones and sang the hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,” the AP reported.
Tammy Faye then divorced Bakker in 1992 while he was still in prison. She married Roe Messner, a building contractor whose projects included the Heritage USA theme park. Messner spent about two years in prison after being convicted of bankruptcy fraud in 1995, while Tammy Faye later died of colon cancer in 2007.
Bakker, meanwhile, was released on parole in 1995 and married Lori in 1998. The couple launched “The Jim Bakker Show” on the PTL Satellite Network five years later.
“The Jim Bakker Show is an hour-long daily broadcast featuring prophetic and Biblical revelations brought to light in today’s world. In these end times God is providing answers and wisdom to be revealed at just the right time. And the time is now!” the show says on its website.
Bakker and Tammy Faye had two children. He and his second wife adopted five children in 2002.
The Associated Press also reported that in June 2021, Bakker and his Morningside Church Productions Inc. settled a lawsuit accusing him of falsely claiming the health supplement Silver Solution could cure COVID-19. The settlement called for $156,000 in refunds to people who paid money or gave contributions to obtain the product in the early days of the pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
