Televangelist Jim Bakker Dies at Age 86

Televangelist Jim Bakker has died at the age of 86, according to NBC News, The Guardian, UPI News, NPR News, and CBS News. UPI News reported that his second wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death on Facebook, stating that he passed away on Monday night. [1][2][3][4][5]

Bakker was best known for co-founding and hosting the television show The PTL Club alongside his first wife, Tammy Faye, during the 1970s and 1980s, according to UPI News, NPR News, and CBS News. Together they built a major evangelical television empire, NPR News and CBS News reported. He hosted the program from 1974 to 1987 and created Heritage USA, a Christian theme park located in South Carolina. [3][4][5][6]

His ministry collapsed following a sex scandal and financial irregularities, according to UPI News, NPR News, and CBS News. The Guardian reported that Bakker was convicted in 1989 of defrauding followers in a scheme related to holidays at his theme park. The Guardian noted that he spent four and a half years in prison following his conviction. [2][3][4][5]

Federal charges against him included 24 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy for misleading donors regarding hotel partnerships at Heritage USA. Following an appeal, he served approximately five years in prison before being paroled and released in 1994. [8]