Jim Bakker, the controversial American televangelist who built a multimillion-dollar Christian broadcasting empire before his career collapsed amid a sex scandal and fraud conviction, has died at the age of 86.
Bakker died on Monday, October 5, 2026, with his wife, Lori Bakker, announcing his death in a statement shared on social media.
“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 wrote.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Bakker rose to national prominence in the 1970s and 1980s alongside his then-wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, through their hugely successful Christian television programme, The PTL Club.
The ministry grew into a sprawling religious empire that included the Heritage USA Christian theme park in South Carolina and attracted millions of viewers.
But the empire spectacularly collapsed in 1987 after revelations surrounding a sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn and a payment made to keep the matter quiet.
The scandal was followed by a federal investigation into PTL’s finances.
In 1989, Bakker was convicted on multiple counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy over a scheme involving the sale of partnerships connected to Heritage USA. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison but ultimately served about five years before his release.
His fall from grace became one of the most notorious scandals in the history of American televangelism, transforming Bakker from one of the country’s most influential religious broadcasters into a convicted fraudster.
After his release from prison, Bakker eventually returned to Christian broadcasting and launched The Jim Bakker Show in 2003 with his second wife, Lori.
His later years remained controversial. Bakker promoted survivalist products and became embroiled in another legal controversy after making claims about a product containing colloidal silver as a treatment for COVID-19. A lawsuit over the claims was later settled with a payment of $156,000 in restitution.
Despite the scandals that defined much of his public life, Bakker remained active in Christian broadcasting until his death.
His passing closes the chapter on one of the most dramatic rises and falls in the history of American televangelism.
