US televangelist Jim Bakker, who built a multimillion‑dollar media empire before being jailed for fraud and conspiracy, has died aged 86. Baker and his then‑wife Tammy Faye founded The PTL Club in 1974, a Christian TV programme that at its peak attracted 13 million viewers per day. The 86‑year‑old’s death was announced on Monday by his second wife Lori Bakker, who described him as "a pioneer of Christian television". By the late 1980s the Bakker empire began to fall apart after a sexual scandal and a subsequent conviction of mail and wire fraud. Tammy Faye, who divorced him in 1992, was never charged, while Bakker served more than four years in prison. Following his release he wrote a book titled "I Was Wrong" and married Lori in 1998. They launched a new TV ministry in 2003 and later a TV show in 2008. Bakker’s first programme, The PTL Club—known as "Praise the Lord" or "People That Love"—brought the couple fame. The Bakkers amassed a grand lifestyle, owning a private jet, luxury cars and a 2,300 acre (930 hectare) theme‑park complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina. In 1987 Bakker resigned after a 1980 sexual encounter with a former church secretary, who later received a $265,000 payoff. He was subsequently defrocked. In 1989 he was convicted on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy and served over four years. In 2003, alongside Lori, he re‑established a TV ministry. He died of unspecified causes with no further details announced.
Jim Bakker, Controversial Televangelist and Fraud Convict, Dies at 86
Jim Bakker, Controversial Televangelist and Fraud Convict, Dies at 86
Former televangelist Jim Bakker, once a media mogul and jailbird, dies aged 86. His life spanned soaring televangelism and a high‑profile scandal that reshaped American religious broadcasting.
Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built an unprecedented religious empire with his wife Tammy Faye, has died at 86. After a spectacular rise that eclipsed 13 million viewers a day, his career unraveled following a sexual scandal and a 24‑count fraud conviction that saw him serving more than four years in prison. In his later years he returned to Christian ministry with his second wife, Lori, launching new shows until his death. Bakker’s legacy remains contentious as he is remembered both for pioneering faith‑based television and for the scandals that brought his organization into disgrace.
