Up to date Oct. 6, 2026, 1:23 a.m. ET
Jim Bakker, the televangelist who constructed a multimillion-dollar evangelical broadcasting empire earlier than a intercourse scandal and fraud conviction led to his public downfall, died on Oct. 5. He was 86.
His spouse, Lori Bakker, introduced his demise on his official Instagram account. She didn’t elaborate on the place he died or disclose a explanation for demise.
Jim Bakker rose to nationwide prominence as a pioneer of Christian tv and, alongside his then-wife Tammy Faye, constructed an enormous ministry that attracted tens of millions of viewers and supporters.
After assembly at North Central Bible School in Minneapolis, Jim Bakker married Tammy Faye in 1961. They gained nationwide publicity in 1965 once they developed a puppet present for evangelist Pat Robertson’s tv program, Reuters beforehand reported.
Jim Bakker based the PTL group, also referred to as “Reward The Lord” or “Individuals That Love,” in 1974. By means of PTL and its tv applications, the couple turned family names and among the many most recognizable figures in evangelical media.
However Jim Bakker’s profession unraveled amid scandal. The televangelist, who pursued an opulent way of life whereas main his evangelical empire, was disgraced by a intercourse scandal, a fraud conviction, and his subsequent divorce from Faye.
His South Carolina-based Christian theme park, Heritage USA, closed in 1989 within the wake of a scandal that triggered the collapse of his Reward the Lord Ministries and its “PTL” tv present. In 1987, allegations turned public that Jim Bakker had raped his former New York church secretary Jessica Hahn. He mentioned the encounter was consensual.
Not lengthy afterward, Jim Bakker was dismissed from the Assemblies of God denomination for what church officers described as “conduct unbecoming to a minister,” in line with earlier reporting from the Springfield Information-Chief, a part of the USA TODAY Community.
Two years later, he was convicted on 24 federal counts of fraud and conspiracy associated to his ministry’s fundraising practices. His authentic 45-year sentence was vacated in 1991, and Jim Bakker finally served practically 5 years in jail.
Whereas Jim Bakker was in jail, Tammy Faye divorced him and later married his former pal Roe Messner. Tammy Faye died in 2007 after an extended battle with most cancers. She was 65.
In saying his demise, Lori Bakker highlighted his many years of non secular work and his function within the progress of Christian tv.
“For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” she wrote. “He was a pioneer of Christian tv, however to me, he was my husband, my finest pal, and the person I used to be honored to stroll beside via so many seasons of life and ministry.”
She mentioned Jim Bakker remained dedicated to his ministry till the tip of his life.
“Even in his remaining days, his coronary heart was nonetheless for the work of God and for the Gospel to proceed reaching the world,” she wrote.
Lori Bakker mentioned the household was grieving and requested for prayers and privateness.
“Jim completed his race with religion,” she wrote. “His voice, his imaginative and prescient, and his legacy won’t ever be forgotten.”
Contributing: Gregory J. Holman, Springfield Information-Chief; Reuters
