Jim Bakker, televangelist whose Christian TV empire collapsed in scandal, dies at 86

Jim Bakker, the televangelist co-founder of The PTL Club empire, has passed away at the age of 86. His second wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death on Monday, without disclosing the cause. The couple had lived in Branson, Missouri, where they filmed their TV show, The Jim Bakker Show, since its inception in 2003. Bakker had suffered a stroke in 2020.

Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, rose to fame as cultural icons in the 1980s through their highly successful TV show, The PTL Club. The ministry they built included a theme park and hotel, Heritage USA, in Fort Mill, South Carolina. At its peak, the show attracted up to 13 million nightly viewers. Bakker's journey began in Muskegon, Michigan, where he met Tammy Faye at North Central Bible College.

They began their own traveling ministry in 1961, later catching the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson. In 1965, they launched a children's show on Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. By 1966, Bakker was hosting The 700 Club, a Christian talk show. In 1972, he left CBN to form the PTL Satellite Network, which eventually led to the creation of The PTL Club in 1979.