Jim Bakker, who built 'PTL Club' televangelism empire, has died at 86
Televangelist Jim Bakker, known for building the 'PTL Club' empire in the 1980s, has died at age 86. His career was marked by massive success in Christian broadcasting followed by a downfall due to financial and sex scandals.
Why it matters
Bakker was a polarizing cultural figure whose rise and fall significantly influenced the history of American televangelism and religious media.
Jim Bakker, who along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes, has died. He was 86.
Bakker died Monday, his second wife, Lori Bakker, said in a statement. His cause of death was not immediately clear.
"He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry," she said.
The pair lived near the Missouri entertainment town of Branson and filmed their TV show "The Jim Bakker Show" there since it launched in 2003. Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020.
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