The Pastor
Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built a large following with his first wife, Tammy Faye, has died at 86, according to reports from WRAL and ABC7 New York.
The couple became well-known through “The PTL Club,” which drew as many as 13 million viewers a night at its peak in the mid-1980s. Their ministry also included the Heritage USA theme park and hotel in South Carolina.
Their evangelical empire later collapsed amid a sex scandal and financial crimes. The Bakkers became frequent subjects of late-night jokes and were parodied on “Saturday Night Live.”
Bakker and his second wife, Lori, lived near Branson, Missouri, where they filmed “The Jim Bakker Show” after it began in 2003. Lori announced his death in a statement; no cause was given. Bakker had a stroke in 2020.
Where this came from
CBS News did not allow its article to be shown here. This version was written by Sureno, in its own words, from other reporting:
- WRAL.com — Jim Bakker, who lost his ‘PTL Club’ televangelism empire in sex and money scandals, dies at 86
- ABC7 New York — Jim Bakker, who built 'PTL Club' televangelism empire, has died at 86