Disgraced Televangelist Jim Bakker Dies At 86 After Stroke
Jim Bakker, the televangelist whose ministry collapsed amid sex and money scandals, died Monday, October 5, 2026, at age 86, his wife Lori Bakker said.[1]
Lori Bakker announced his death in a statement.[1] The couple had filmed The Jim Bakker Show near Branson, Missouri, since 2003, and he had suffered a stroke in 2020.[1]
At its mid-1980s height, The PTL Club drew an estimated 13 million nightly viewers and funded the Heritage USA Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina.[1] Bakker was convicted in 1989 on federal mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges.[1] He was originally sentenced to 45 years and was paroled in 1994 after his sentence was reduced.[1]
In June 2021, Bakker and Morningside Church Productions settled a lawsuit by agreeing to $156,000 in refunds over claims that a Silver Solution product could cure COVID-19.[1] He rebuilt a smaller television ministry with his wife and remained a polarizing figure until his death.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Jim Bakker died Monday, October 5, 2026, at age 86, according to a statement from his wife Lori Bakker.
- At its mid-1980s height, "The PTL Club" drew an estimated 13 million nightly viewers and funded the Heritage USA Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
- Bakker was convicted in 1989 on federal mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges, initially sentenced to 45 years, and paroled in 1994 after his sentence was reduced.
- In June 2021 Bakker and Morningside Church Productions settled a lawsuit by agreeing to $156,000 in refunds over false claims that a Silver Solution product could cure COVID-19.
- Bakker and his second wife Lori had filmed "The Jim Bakker Show" near Branson, Missouri, since its 2003 launch, and he suffered a stroke in 2020.
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