Jim Bakker, famed televangelist felled by scandal, dies at age 86

Jim Bakker, the powerhouse television evangelist felled by a 1980s sex and financial scandal, died Monday at the age of 86.Bakker’s second wife, Lori, announced the death in a post on his TV show’s official Instagram account.
“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 Bakker wrote in the post.
“For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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,” she added.
Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, became one of television’s most recognized couples with his PTL show that preached to millions of viewers that Christian faith and financial success were compatible. Their success even led to the launch of an amusement park-like community in North Carolina.
But Bakker’s world came crashing down in 1987 when he was forced to admit he had a sexual relationship with a secretary named Jessica Hahn, who accused him of abuse.
A year later, he was indicted on federal financial charges and spent five years in prison, a time during which Tammy Faye divorced him and remarried.
But Bakker returned to television ministry and married Lori.

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