Jim Bakker, televangelist disgraced by sex and financial scandals, dies

Jim Bakker, the former PTL televangelist who built a multimillion-dollar evangelical broadcasting empire and later fell from grace due to sex and fraud scandals, died at age 86, with his wife Lori announcing his death on Instagram.

Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built a multimillion-dollar evangelical broadcasting empire before a sex scandal and fraud conviction led to his public downfall, died on Oct. 5. He was 86.

His wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death on his official Instagram account. She did not elaborate on where he died or disclose a cause of death.

Jim Bakker rose to national prominence as a pioneer of Christian television and, alongside his then-wife Tammy Faye, built a vast ministry that attracted millions of viewers and supporters.

After meeting at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, Jim Bakker married Tammy Faye in 1961. They gained national exposure in 1965 when they developed a puppet show for evangelist Pat Robertson's television program, Reuters previously reported.

Jim Bakker founded the PTL organization, also known as "Praise The Lord" or "People That Love," in 1974. Through PTL and its television programs, the couple became household names and among the most recognizable figures in evangelical media.

But Jim Bakker's career unraveled amid scandal. The televangelist, who pursued an opulent lifestyle while leading his evangelical empire, was disgraced by a sex scandal, a fraud conviction, and his subsequent divorce from Faye.

His South Carolina-based Christian theme park, Heritage USA, closed in 1989 in the wake of a scandal that triggered the collapse of his Praise the Lord Ministries and its "PTL" television show. In 1987, allegations became public that Jim Bakker had raped his former New York church secretary Jessica Hahn. He said the encounter was consensual.

Not long afterward, Jim Bakker was dismissed from the Assemblies of God denomination for what church officials described as "conduct unbecoming to a minister," according to previous reporting from the Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Two years later, he was convicted on 24 federal counts of fraud and conspiracy related to his ministry's fundraising practices. His original 45-year sentence was vacated in 1991, and Jim Bakker ultimately served nearly five years in prison.

While Jim Bakker was in prison, Tammy Faye divorced him and later married his former friend Roe Messner. Tammy Faye died in 2007 after a long battle with cancer. She was 65.

In announcing his death, Lori Bakker highlighted his decades of religious work and his role in the growth of Christian television.

"For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ," she wrote. "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 Jim Bakker remained committed to his ministry until the end of his life.

"Even in his final days, his heart was still for the work of God and for the Gospel to continue reaching the world," she wrote.

Lori Bakker said the family was grieving and asked for prayers and privacy.

"Jim finished his race with faith,” she wrote. “His voice, his vision, and his legacy will never be forgotten.”

• Contributing: Gregory J. Holman, Springfield News-Leader; Reuters