Televangelist Jim Bakker, who became famous through “The PTL Club” before acknowledging a sexual encounter with a church secretary and later being convicted of financial crimes, has died at 86.
Bakker’s second wife, Lori, said he died Monday. His cause of death was not immediately clear. Bakker had 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.
Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker address their television audience on Aug. 20, 1986, at their PTL Ministry in Fort Mill, S.C. (Lou Krasky/AP)
Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Bakker attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, where he met Tammy Faye, his first wife. The couple married in 1961 and left college to establish a traveling ministry of their own. Bakker preached while Tammy Faye sang and played the accordion as they traveled to churches and tent revivals across the country.
According to a biography published on Bakker’s website, he joined the Christian Broadcasting Network in the 1960s under Pat Robertson. He created one of the first daily, hourlong Christian children’s programs, “Come On Over,” and later became the inaugural host of “The 700 Club,” a pioneering talk show that featured leading ministers and singers of the era.
Bakker departed CBN in 1972. Two years later, he founded the PTL Satellite Network, whose flagship program was “The PTL Club.” The initials PTL stood for “Praise the Lord.”
At the height of its popularity in the 1980s, “The PTL Club” attracted millions of viewers and generated millions of dollars each year from followers, The Associated Press reported. The program featured conversations with guests and Christian entertainers, along with Bakker’s energetic sermons and Tammy Faye’s musical performances.
The ministry also operated Heritage USA, a Christian-themed amusement park and hotel complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Jim and Tammy Bakker arrive at the Beverly Theatre on Oct. 24, 1987, to watch “The Gospel Truth.” (Douglas C. Pizach/AP)
Bakker’s ministry empire began collapsing in March 1987 after he admitted to a sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn. He subsequently handed control of the operation to pastor and broadcaster Jerry Falwell.
The following year, an investigation into PTL’s finances led to Bakker’s indictment on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. He was convicted and initially sentenced to 45 years in federal prison, but the sentence was later reduced to eight years.
After Bakker was found guilty, Tammy Faye stood before reporters at a news conference and sang the hymn “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,” the AP reported.
Tammy Faye divorced Bakker in 1992, while he remained incarcerated. She later married building contractor Roe Messner, whose projects included Heritage USA. Messner served about two years in prison after his 1995 conviction for bankruptcy fraud. Tammy Faye died of colon cancer in 2007.
Bakker was released on parole in 1995 and married Lori three years later. In 2003, the couple launched “The Jim Bakker Show” on the PTL Satellite Network.
The program’s website describes “The Jim Bakker Show” as a daily, hourlong broadcast focused on prophetic and biblical revelations viewed through current events. “In these end times God is providing answers and wisdom to be revealed at just the right time. And the time is now!” the site says.
Bakker and Tammy Faye had two children together. In 2002, Bakker and Lori adopted five children.
U.S. marshals escort former PTL leader Jim Bakker from his attorney’s office to a waiting car in Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 31, 1989. (Chuck Burton/AP)
The Associated Press reported that Bakker and Morningside Church Productions Inc. settled a lawsuit in June 2021 over claims that he falsely promoted the health supplement Silver Solution as a treatment for COVID-19. Under the settlement, $156,000 was designated to refund people who paid for the product or contributed money to obtain it during the early months of the pandemic.
