The PTL Club founder helped shape modern Christian broadcasting before scandal and prison; he later returned to television and continued preaching for decades
Televangelist Jim Bakker, one of the most recognizable figures in the history of Christian television, has died at age 86.
Bakker died Monday evening, October 5, according to his wife, Lori Bakker, who announced his passing through The Jim Bakker Show. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
“For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Lori Bakker said, describing him as a pioneer of Christian television and her husband and best friend.
A Pioneer of Christian Television
Born January 2, 1940, Bakker became a major figure in the rise of Christian broadcasting.
He and his first wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, began their television careers with Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network before launching The PTL Club. The program combined preaching, music, interviews, prayer and fundraising and helped shape the format of modern Christian television.
At its height, The PTL Club reached millions of viewers. The Bakkers also built Heritage USA, a sprawling Christian resort and theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina, that became one of the country’s most popular attractions during the 1980s.
Scandal and Prison
Bakker’s ministry collapsed in 1987 amid revelations involving a sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn and questions surrounding PTL finances.
He was later convicted on federal fraud and conspiracy charges connected to fundraising for Heritage USA. Bakker was initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, although the sentence was later reduced. He served about five years before his release in 1994.
The scandal became one of the most significant episodes in the history of American televangelism.
A Return to Ministry
After prison, Bakker publicly reconsidered some of the prosperity theology he had promoted during the PTL years.
He married Lori Graham Bakker in 1998 and eventually returned to Christian broadcasting. In 2003, he launched The Jim Bakker Show from the Branson, Missouri, area, focusing on biblical prophecy, current events, preparedness and Christian teaching.
Bakker remained a controversial figure, including during the COVID-19 pandemic when authorities challenged claims surrounding a colloidal silver product promoted on his program.
Bakker’s story became inseparable from the history of American Christian television.
He later returned to television and spent the final decades of his life preaching and speaking about failure, faith and second chances.
In announcing his death, Lori Bakker said, “Jim loved people deeply. He loved this ministry, and he loved the friends and partners who stood with him throughout the years.”
Bakker is survived by Lori Bakker, his children and grandchildren.
