Televangelist Jim Bakker, who co-founded "The PTL Club" and the Heritage USA theme park before serving time in federal prison for fraud, died on Monday, October 5, 2026. He was 86 years old. His second wife, Lori Bakker, confirmed his death in a statement, though a specific cause of death was not reported. Bakker had previously suffered a stroke in 2020.
Bakker’s career began in the 1960s after he and his first wife, Tammy Faye, left North Central Bible College to become itinerant evangelists. They rose to prominence at Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network, where Bakker hosted "The 700 Club." After a brief partnership with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Bakkers moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and launched the PTL (Praise The Lord) Satellite Network in 1974. By the mid-1980s, their ministry had grown into a $125 million empire.
The ministry collapsed in 1987 following revelations that Bakker had used $279,000 in ministry funds to pay church secretary Jessica Hahn to conceal a sexual encounter. A subsequent federal investigation found that Bakker had defrauded followers by overselling "lifetime partnerships" at the Heritage USA hotel, pocketing more than $3 million for personal use. In 1989, he was convicted on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy. Originally sentenced to 45 years, his term was reduced to eight, and he was paroled in 1994.
After his release, Bakker remarried and returned to television in 2003 with "The Jim Bakker Show," based in Branson, Missouri. His later ministry shifted focus from the "prosperity gospel" of his early career toward apocalyptic themes and the sale of survivalist products. In 2020, he faced legal action from the state of Missouri for promoting a "Silver Solution" supplement as a treatment for COVID-19.
The subsequent legal proceedings against Bakker established significant precedents for the oversight of non-profit religious organizations. His 1989 conviction involved 24 felony counts related to the sale of "lifetime partnerships" to thousands of followers, who paid at least $1,000 each for promised lodging benefits that the ministry could not fulfill. The case illustrated the legal boundaries for how religious leaders can solicit and spend donor funds, particularly regarding the personal use of organizational assets and the transparency of financial disclosures.
Bakker’s later years reflected a transition in the religious broadcasting market toward survivalism and apocalyptic preparedness. While his early career focused on the prosperity gospel—the teaching that faith leads to material wealth—his later Missouri-based show sold survivalist gear and supplements to a new generation of viewers. The legal challenges he faced as recently as 2020 over unproven health claims during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted ongoing regulatory scrutiny of the supplement and broadcasting industries. Funeral arrangements and memorial details have not yet been reported.