Jim Bakker, televangelist who co-founded "The PTL Club" empire, dies at 86
Summary
Jim Bakker, a televangelist who co-founded the popular Christian TV show "The PTL Club," died at age 86. He rose to fame in the 1980s with his ministry empire but later faced scandal and legal troubles. Bakker continued to host a Christian TV show from Missouri until recently.Key Facts
- Jim Bakker co-founded "The PTL Club" with his first wife, Tammy Faye, in the 1970s.
- "The PTL Club" was a Christian TV show that attracted up to 13 million viewers nightly in the 1980s.
- Their ministry also included Heritage USA, a Christian theme park and hotel in South Carolina.
- Bakker admitted to a sexual encounter with a church clerk in 1987, leading to his resignation.
- In 1988, Bakker was convicted of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy related to PTL's finances.
- He was sentenced to 45 years in prison, later reduced to 8, and was released in 1994.
- Tammy Faye divorced Bakker in 1992 and died of colon cancer in 2007.
- Bakker married his second wife, Lori, in 1998 and hosted "The Jim Bakker Show" from Branson, Missouri.
- Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020 and died at age 86; the cause of death is not yet confirmed.
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