Jim Bakker, the television preacher who built the “PTL Club” into one of the biggest ministries in America and then went to prison for cheating his own followers, died at 86 on Monday, October 5. His wife, Lori Bakker, announced the death that evening. The family has not given a cause of death.
Story Snapshot
- Jim Bakker died Monday evening at age 86, his wife Lori Bakker said in a statement.
- He is remembered for two things: a Christian TV empire that drew millions of viewers, and the fraud that sent him to federal prison.
- His fall began in 1987 after hush money was paid to a church secretary, Jessica Hahn.
- No cause of death was given. Bakker had a stroke in 2020.
Why America Remembers Him
Bakker was a televangelist, a preacher whose pulpit is a TV show. He is remembered because he raised a fortune from ordinary viewers and was then convicted of defrauding them. A jury found him guilty in 1989 of mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. Mail fraud and wire fraud mean using the mail, the phone or the airwaves to take money under false promises. Prosecutors said he sold $1,000 “lifetime memberships” that promised donors yearly stays at a hotel at his Christian resort. Tens of thousands were sold, but only one 500-room hotel was ever finished.
The trouble first came to light in March 1987. Bakker admitted to an encounter with Jessica Hahn, a church secretary, and stepped down. He handed the ministry to Jerry Falwell, a Virginia pastor and broadcaster. Hahn had been paid $279,000 from ministry funds to keep quiet. An investigation of the ministry’s finances followed, and in 1988 Bakker was indicted.
From a Traveling Ministry to Heritage USA
Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan. He met Tammy Faye, his first wife and later his on-air partner, at a Bible college in Minneapolis. They married in 1961 and left school to preach on the road. In the 1960s they worked for the Christian Broadcasting Network, where Bakker hosted a children’s show and was the first host of “The 700 Club.”
He left in 1972 and formed the PTL Satellite Network in 1974. PTL was short for “Praise the Lord.” At its peak in the 1980s, “The PTL Club” reached millions of homes and brought in millions of dollars a year. The couple also built Heritage USA, a Christian theme park and hotel in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Prison, Divorce and a Second Act
A judge sentenced Bakker to 45 years in federal prison. The sentence was later cut to eight years, and he was paroled in 1994 after serving almost five. Parole is early release under supervision. Tammy Faye divorced him in 1992 while he was behind bars. She died in 2007.
Bakker married Lori, his second wife, in 1998. In 2003 the couple began “The Jim Bakker Show,” on the PTL Satellite Network. He lived in Missouri, near the entertainment town of Branson. Trouble followed him there too. In June 2021, Bakker and his church company settled a lawsuit that accused him of falsely claiming a health product called Silver Solution could cure COVID-19. The settlement called for $156,000 in refunds to buyers.
What His Family Said
“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening,” Lori Bakker wrote on Monday. She called him “a pioneer of Christian television” and added, “to me, he was my husband, my best friend.” She asked for prayers and privacy for the family.
Bakker had two children with Tammy Faye. He and Lori adopted five children in 2002. The family has not announced funeral or memorial plans. For viewers who grew up watching Jim and Tammy Faye, his life stands as a plain lesson: trust given by faithful people is a debt, and he paid dearly for breaking it.
Sources:
foxnews.com, nytimes.com, cnn.com, npr.org
