Jim Bakker; who built an evangelical empire with his first wife Tammy Faye through the popular TV show 'The PTL Club'; has died. He was 86 years old and passed away on Monday, according to a statement from his second wife, Lori Bakker. The exact cause of death has not been shared publicly.
Bakker and his second wife lived near Branson; Missouri; where they filmed 'The Jim Bakker Show' since 2003 according to CBS News. He had suffered a stroke in 2020. Lori Bakker described him as a pioneer of Christian television and someone she deeply loved.
She said he was also her husband; best friend; and a man she was proud to walk beside through life and ministry. Bakker and Tammy Faye had made their name in the 1980s with 'The PTL Club' which drew up to 13 million viewers each night. Their empire also included a theme park and hotel called Heritage USA in South Carolina.
Bakker was born in Muskegon; Michigan; and met Tammy Faye while attending North Central Bible College in Minneapolis. They married in 1961 and left college to start a traveling ministry with him preaching and her singing and playing the accordion. Their early work caught the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson who helped them launch a children’s show in 1965.
By 1966 Bakker was hosting 'The 700 Club' which was a Christian talk show. He left the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1972 and formed his own satellite network called PTL two years later. The PTL Club became the signature show of that network featuring upbeat messages and performances by Tammy Faye.
Most episodes were filmed at their large complex near Charlotte in North Carolina. Their lifestyle was often mocked by comedians for its luxury and Tammy Faye’s heavy makeup. In March 1987 Bakker admitted to a sexual encounter with a church employee named Jessica Hahn.
He resigned from his own ministry and turned control over to Jerry Falwell. Tammy Faye stayed loyal to him even as many saw his fall as a symbol of greed in the 1980s. The situation worsened when Bakker was indicted in 1988 for mail fraud; wire fraud; and conspiracy related to PTL’s finances.
He was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison though his sentence was later reduced to eight years. His marriage with Tammy Faye ended when she divorced him in 1992 just before their 31st anniversary. Tammy Faye later married Roe Messner who was a contractor involved in the Heritage USA project.
Messner was later convicted of bankruptcy fraud and served time in prison. Tammy Faye died from colon cancer in 2007. Bakker was released on parole in 1994 and remarried his second wife Lori in 1998.
Together they started 'The Jim Bakker Show' in 2003. In 2021 Bakker settled a lawsuit over false claims about a health supplement called Silver Solution. The lawsuit said he and a guest claimed the product could cure COVID-19 during several episodes in early 2020.
The settlement required $156,000 in refunds to those who paid for the supplement during the pandemic. Bakker and Tammy Faye had two children together. He and Lori adopted five children in 2002.
A movie about their lives called 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' was released in 2021.
Bakker died on October 5 at age 86 after decades as one of the best-known and most controversial figures in American televangelism.