American televangelist Jim Bakker, whose rise from Christian broadcaster to the head of a multimillion-dollar religious media empire was followed by a high-profile financial scandal and prison sentence, has died at the age of 86.
Bakker died on Monday, October 5, with his death announced by his widow, Lori Bakker, on Instagram through The Jim Bakker Show. His cause of death was not disclosed.
Lori described him as her husband and best friend, saying he had spent 66 years preaching the Gospel and remained committed to his ministry until his final days.
“He was a pioneer of Christian television,” she said, while asking for prayers and privacy for the family.
Bakker became a major figure in American evangelical broadcasting in the 1970s after he and his then-wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, founded The PTL Club in 1974.
The programme grew into a major Christian broadcasting operation and helped establish the couple as prominent figures in American evangelical circles. Their ministry also expanded into Heritage USA, a Christian theme park and resort in South Carolina.
The success, however, was followed by a dramatic collapse after Bakker faced allegations over the handling of ministry funds.
He had sold thousands of $1,000 lifetime memberships linked to a planned luxury hotel, although only one 500-room hotel was completed. Investigators found that significant amounts of the money were used for the company’s operating expenses, while Bakker personally retained $3.4 million, according to The New York Times.
Bakker also faced allegations involving payments made to church secretary Jessica Hahn to keep silent over allegations that she had been drugged and raped by Bakker and PTL co-host John Wesley Fletcher. Bakker maintained that the sexual encounter was consensual.
On October 4, 1988, he was indicted on 24 federal counts of mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the public.
He was convicted on all 24 counts following a five-week trial in 1989 and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Bakker ultimately served five years before his release.
Despite the scandal that brought down his first television empire, Bakker later returned to Christian broadcasting and continued preaching for decades.
His widow said he had remained passionate about his ministry and the spread of the Gospel until the end of his life.
“Jim finished his race with faith,” Lori said, adding that his “voice, his vision, and his legacy” would not be forgotten.
