Jim Bakker, PTL televangelist, dies at 86
Televangelist Jim Bakker has died at the age of 86.
His wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death in an Instagram post on Monday, Oct. 5, according to Deadline. She said he died on Monday evening, Ozarks First reported.
“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, as quoted by MyCharisma.
In her announcement, she said Bakker had spent 66 years preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She described him as a pioneer of Christian television, in a post shared on Instagram.
A televangelist is a religious preacher whose services are broadcast on television and online. Bakker became one of the best known figures in that field in the United States.
He founded The PTL Club, a religious television programme. He co-hosted it with his then wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, from 1974 to 1987, Deadline reported. The programme mixed preaching, music and talk, and built a large daytime audience during those years.
That run ended in 1987. Bakker later moved to the Ozarks, according to AOL.
In his later years, he returned to regular broadcasting with The Jim Bakker Show on digital platforms. That meant the programme was released online rather than through traditional broadcast channels.
His earlier life also reached a new audience through film. Andrew Garfield portrayed Bakker in the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which centred on Tammy Faye Bakker. Jessica Chastain won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2022 for playing Tammy Faye in the film.
No further details about funeral arrangements have been reported. The announcement from his wife focused on his long career in ministry and religious broadcasting.
