Jim Bakker, the televangelist who built a multimillion-dollar Christian broadcast empire amid scandal, has died aged 86.
Buck’s second wife, Lori, announced his death on Facebook Monday night. She did not confirm the cause of his death.
“For 66 years, Jim dedicated his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a pioneer in Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and someone I was honored to walk side by side with through many stages of life and ministry,” Lori said.
Buck was famous in the 1970s for hosting ” PTL Clubwith his first wife Tammy Faye. Christian television programming became the centerpiece of an evangelical media empire that included the PTL satellite network and the Heritage USA Christian theme park.
By 1987, PTL’s ministry was mired in scandal after it paid church secretary Jessica Hahn to keep quiet about a sexual encounter with Buck and later exposed the ministry’s financial improprieties.
He was later convicted of 24 counts of mail and wire fraud and conspiracy and sentenced to 45 years in prison. His sentence was commuted and he ended up serving nearly five years in prison.
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