Jim Bakker, televangelist who built The PTL Club, dies at 86

Jim Bakker, the televangelist who helped build The PTL Club into a major Christian media and fundraising operation in the 1980s, has died at age 86. His death was announced by his second wife, Lori Bakker. The cause was not immediately disclosed. Bakker had lived near Branson, Missouri, where he continued filming The Jim Bakker Show after launching it in 2003. Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, became wellknown cultural figures through their television ministry, which included a large TV audience, a theme park and a hotel. Their empire later collapsed after a sex scandal and federal fraud convictions tied to PTL's finances. Bakker served prison time, later returned to ministry, and in 2021 settled a lawsuit over false claims about a supplement he said could cure COVID19.