Televangelist Jim Bakker, Once a Media Empire Builder, Dies at 86
Bakker, co-founder of The PTL Club, died at 86 after a career marked by both widespread influence and a high-profile downfall due to scandal and fraud.
Jim Bakker, the televangelist who rose to prominence with the Christian television program The PTL Club before his career unraveled due to a sex scandal and fraud conviction, has died at the age of 86.
Bakker and his then-wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, launched The PTL Club in 1974, which grew into a significant media enterprise. At its peak, the program reached an estimated 13 million viewers daily. The couple built a substantial empire that included a 2,300-acre theme park complex called Heritage USA in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and employed around 2,000 people. Their lifestyle was notably opulent, featuring assets like a private jet, multiple homes, and luxury vehicles.
The ministry's downfall began in the late 1980s. In 1987, Bakker resigned from PTL after revelations of a 1980 sexual encounter with Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary. It later emerged that Hahn had received a $265,000 payoff funded by ministry resources. This led to Bakker being defrocked, losing his ministerial credentials and the right to perform religious duties. He was subsequently convicted of mail and wire fraud and served time in prison. Tammy Faye Bakker divorced him in 1992 and was not charged in connection with the scandal.
Following his release, Bakker remarried Lori Bakker in 1998. The couple launched a new television ministry in 2003. Lori Bakker confirmed his death on Monday, referring to him as "a pioneer of Christian television" and her "best friend."
The cause of death was not specified. Bakker's legacy remains tied to his foundational role in Christian broadcasting and the dramatic fall from grace that captivated and shocked the public.