Jim Bakker, the embattled head of Praise the Lord Network (PTL) and The Jim Bakker Show, has passed away at the age of 86, according to his wife Lori.
She posted a message on Facebook, writing of her Televangelist 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.
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. 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. 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. — Lori Bakker”
His son Jay Bakker, with whom he has been estranged, wrote on Facebook:
Once one of the famous Televangelists in the world, Jim Bakker feel from grace forty years ago and never recovered.
Bakker was indicted in 1980 on federal charges of mail and wire fraud and conspiring to defraud the public after he sold $1,000 “lifetime memberships” to tens of thousands of people. This was supposed to let them spend three nights a year, every year, in a luxury hotel he was building, but his sales far outstripped his capacity and he pocketed tens of millions of dollars, never being able to fulfill his promise. He was convicted in 1989 and sentenced to 45 years in prison but was ultimately released after 5.
It was also revealed that he cheated on his wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, with his secretary (she said she was raped) and paid her over $350,000 to cover it up. He had several more allegations of sexual impropriety against him, all the while being revealed that he was living a life of incredible excess and wealth.
Bakker returned to broadcasting in 2003 with his daily talk program that typically focuses on end-times revelations but usually devolves into a pitch for money, ( selling a $1000 miracle blanket) geopolitical speculation, and strange guests espousing bizarre theories.(Reptile Alien pretended to be her husband in an attempt to seduce her)
