Televangelist Jim Bakker, Ex-Husband of Tammy Faye Bakker, Dead at 86

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Jim Bakker’s family has suffered a tremendous loss.

The televangelist—who rose to popularity with ex-wife Tammy Faye Bakker on their Christian television show The PTL Club (Praise the Lord)—died on Oct. 5., Jim’s wife Lori Bakker confirmed. He was 86. 

“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening,” Lori, who wed Jim in 1998 before welcoming five kids together, wrote in a statement shared to The Jim Bakker Show’s Instagram account. “For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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."

“Jim loved people deeply,” she added. “He loved this ministry, and he loved the friends and partners who stood with him throughout the years. Even in his final days, his heart was still for the work of God and for the Gospel to continue reaching the world.”

The statement continued, “Our family is grieving and we ask for your prayers and privacy during this time. Jim finished his race with faith. His voice, his vision, and his legacy will never be forgotten.”

Jim was born in Michigan, where he grew up before meeting Tammy Faye at North Central University in Minnesota. However, the pair later dropped out to share their faith with the world, getting married in 1961.

Photo by Will & Deni McIntyre/Getty Images

In 1974, Jim and Tammy Faye—parents to kids Jay Bakker and daughter Tammy Sue Bakker-Chapman—launched The PTL Club (Praise the Lord), spreading what's known as the prosperity gospel—a Christian teaching that says God gives material wealth and physical health to faithful believers. As Jim said in a 1985 interview, "Excess and success are close together.”

And it wasn’t long until PTL became a full-blown empire, which at its height included its own satellite network as well as a sprawling North Carolina theme park called Heritage USA.

But in 1987, it all came crashing down in the aftermath of sex and financial scandals, with the infamous fallout being retold in the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which earned Jessica Chastain an Oscar for Best Actress at the 2022 Academy Awards. 

Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Amid PTL’s success, Jim was accused of using money donated to his church to fund personal expenses. In fact, he admitted to paying church secretary Jessica Hahn more than $200,000 to stay quiet after she accused him of sexual assault. 

After the scandal, he stepped away from PTL and was indicted on 15 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and eight counts of mail fraud in 1988. The next year, he was found guilty on all 24 counts and was sentenced to 45 years in prison, though he appealed and wound up serving less than five. (Jim and Tammy Faye’s divorce was finalized in 1992.)

After prison, Jim went back to evangelism, starting a new ministry called Morningside. And in 2003, he launched The Jim Bakker Show, where he continued to spread his religious beliefs.

"I plan to stay in this pulpit until I die,” he said during an April 26 episode of The Jim Bakker Show. “So, if I die someday preaching, say, ‘praise God he went to heaven.’”

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