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Jim Bakker, a televangelist who co-founded "The PTL Club" with his first wife Tammy Faye, died at age 86 on Monday near Branson, Missouri. The couple built an evangelical empire that included a successful TV show and a theme park but lost it all due to a sex scandal and financial crimes. Bakker's second wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death; the cause is not specified. He was known for pioneering Christian television and later hosted "The Jim Bakker Show" from 2003 until his stroke in 2020.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Jim Bakker, a controversial televangelist who co-founded The PTL Club with his ex-wife Tammy Faye Bakker, died at age 86 on Monday. Known for pioneering Christian television in the 1970s to late 1980s, Bakker also faced major scandals including paying $200,000 hush money and being convicted of fraud for misusing over $400 million from ministry funds. His wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death, stating that he devoted 66 years to preaching the gospel until his final days. Despite his controversial past, Bakker is remembered as a cultural icon who influenced millions through his television ministry based near Branson, Missouri.
Written for “Jim Bakker Dies” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Jim Bakker, who along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes, has died.
asserted
who → build → scandal
Bakker died Monday, his second wife, Lori Bakker, said in a statement.
asserted
wife → die → statement
The pair lived near the Missouri entertainment town of Branson and filmed their TV show "The Jim Bakker Show" there since it launched in 2003.
asserted
it → live → 2003
Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020.
asserted
Bakker → suffer → 2020
"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," Lori Bakker said in a statement.
asserted
Bakker → honor → statement
But it was another evangelical program that made Jim and and his first wife Tammy Faye Bakker cultural icons - so much so that they were often skewered in the 1980s and 1990s by late-night comedians and parodied on "Saturday Night Live."
asserted
they → make → Live
A theatrical movie on their lives, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," was released in September 2021.
asserted
movie → release → September
At its peak in the mid-1980s, the Bakkers' ministry included not only the TV show drawing up to 13 million nightly viewers but also the Christian-based Heritage USA theme park and hotel in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
asserted
ministry → include → Mill
Bakker was born in Muskegon Michigan, and attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, where he met Tammy Faye.
asserted
he → bear → Faye
They married in 1961 and dropped out of college to start their own traveling ministry - he preached, she sang and played the accordion as they crossed the country visiting churches and tent revivals.
asserted
they → marry → churches
They caught the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson, and in 1965 launched a children's show on Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.
asserted
They → catch → Network
By 1966, he was hosting "The 700 Club," a Christian talk show.
asserted
he → host → Club
Bakker left CBN in 1972 and two years later formed the PTL Satellite Network.
asserted
Bakker → leave → Network
"The PTL Club" - PTL stands for "Praise the Lord" - became its signature show.
asserted
PTL → stand → Lord
It hit its heyday in the 1980s, "The PTL Club" was drawing millions of viewers - and bringing in millions of dollars annually from followers.
Sort of a Christian version of "The Tonight Show," it featured chats with guests and Christian entertainers.
asserted
it → hit → guests
Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye - charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara - sang.
asserted
Faye → offer → mascara
Most episodes were taped at their sprawling complex just south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
asserted
episodes → tap → Charlotte
The couple was so famous that they were often parodied by TV comedians for their lavish lifestyle and Tammy Faye's abundant makeup.
asserted
they → parody → lifestyle
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