Disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, a west Michigan native, has died at 86 years old.
Bakker, who was born in Muskegon, died Monday evening, Oct. 5, his second wife, Lori Bakker, announced in an Oct. 5 post to his Instagram account. No cause of death or location was provided.
The 1980s-era televangelist rose to fame with his first wife Tammy Faye Bakker before a sex scandal and a prison term for financial crimes led to the cancellation of his television programs, the closure of his South Carolina-based Christian theme park, and his dismissal from the Assemblies of God Christian denomination.
Tammy Faye divorced Jim Bakker while he was in prison, later remarried and died in 2007 from cancer. He remarried Lori Bakker, who survives him.
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.”
Here's what to know about Jim Bakker.
When did Jim Bakker die?
Jim Bakker died Monday, Oct. 5 at 86 years old, his wife Lori Bakker announced in the Instagram post. No cause or location of death has been disclosed.
Was Jim Bakker from Michigan?
Yes, Jim Bakker was a native of west Michigan's Muskegon.
Who was Jim Bakker?
Born James Orsen Bakker in Muskegon, Michigan, and known as Jim Bakker, he was atelevangelist whose career was disgraced by a sex scandal, and time spend in prison on federal fraud and conspiracy charges. Along with his first wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, whom he met at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, Jim Bakker built a televangelist empire.
The couple hosted "Come On Over" a children's puppet show that eventually aired on evangelist Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. In 1973, Jim Bakker co-founded Trinity Broadcasting Network, and in 1974, he founded the PTL organization, also known as "Praise The Lord" or "People That Love." Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker then opened Heritage USA, a South Carolina-based Christian theme park, in 1978.
However, in 1987, allegations became public that Jim Bakker had raped his former New York church secretary Jessica Hahn. He said the encounter was consensual.
The scandal triggered the collapse of his Praise the Lord Ministries and its "PTL" television show and led Heritage USA to close in 1989. In 1987, he 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.
In 1989, Jim Bakker 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.
Tammy Faye divorced Jim Bakker while he was in prison and later married his former friend Roe Messner. She died of cancer at 65 in 2007.
Jim Bakker is survived by his second wife Lori Bakker.
"For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Lori Bakker wrote in the post announcing Jim Bakker's death. "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.”
USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan native Jim Bakker dies at 86. Who was disgraced televangelist?
