Jim Bakker, televangelist who co-founded

Jim Bakker, who built an evangelical ministry with his first wife, Tammy Faye, has died at 86. The couple became widely known through their television program, “The PTL Club.”

At the ministry’s height in the 1980s, its offerings included a television show that attracted millions of viewers and the Heritage USA theme park and hotel in South Carolina. Bakker and Tammy Faye became well-known public figures, and their lives later inspired a 2021 film.

Bakker was indicted in 1988 on mail and wire fraud and conspiracy charges following scrutiny of PTL’s finances. He was convicted and given a 45-year sentence, later reduced to eight years; he was released on parole in 1994.

Tammy Faye divorced Bakker in 1992 while he was imprisoned. He married Lori in 1998, and they later began “The Jim Bakker Show,” filming in the Branson, Missouri, area from 2003. Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020.