BLUE EYE, MO – Jim Bakker, founder of the Praise The Lord (PTL) network, has died at the age of 86. The late televangelist’s wife, Lori Bakker, took to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 5) to announce the passing of her husband.
“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening,” Mrs. Bakker shared. “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 Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye Messner, founded the Praise The Lord (PTL) Network in 1974. The vision propelled many careers forward, such as BeBe & CeCe Winans and Bob Bailey, and helped form an empire of televangelism that continues with worldwide influence.
Some find it impossible to talk about Jim Bakker without shedding light on the scandals that rocked his personal life as well as the PTL ministry. Notably, Jessica Hahn accused Jim Bakker and another minister by the name of John Wesley of drugging and sexually assaulting her in a Florida hotel during the 1980s. Bakker reportedly used ministry funds to pay Hahn $279,000 for her silence. The scandal ultimately led to Jim Bakker’s resignation from the PTL ministry in March 1987.
Bakker was also accused of financial fraud in which he allegedly sold “lifetime partnerships” to ministry supporters between 1984 and 1987. The televangelist promised a 25,000 cap on partnerships but substantially oversold the memberships.
In total, the “lifetime partnership” program brought in $158 million but failed to deliver on promises made to members. Jim Bakker was ultimately charged and found guilty of wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy. He served five years of a 45-year sentence in federal prison before being released on parole in 1994.
Tammy Faye divorced her husband in 1992 while he was still in prison and married Roe Messner in 1993. She died of cancer in 2007. Jim Bakker married his second wife, Lori, in 1998.
“Jim loved people deeply,” Mrs. Bakker said of her late husband on Monday. “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.”