TV evangelist Jim Bakker dies at 86
Jim Bakker, the television evangelist who later went to prison for financial crimes, has died. He was 86.
Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, built a huge following with “The PTL Club” in the 1970s and 1980s. PTL stood for “Praise the Lord.” At its peak, the show drew 13 million daily viewers.
Their empire began to unravel in 1987 when a church secretary accused Bakker of sexual assault. He maintained the encounter was consensual, but still tried to buy her silence.
A year later, Bakker’s downfall continued when he was indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges tied to PTL’s finances. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison, but he ended up serving around five years.
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