Jim Bakker Dies in Hospice Care at 86, TMZ Reports
Televangelist Jim Bakker died Monday night at the age of 86 while in hospice care in Missouri, TMZ reported on Tuesday. Bakker, who rose to fame in the 1970s as co-host of The PTL Club alongside his then-wife Tammy Faye Bakker, went on to become one of the most controversial figures in American religious broadcasting.
According to TMZ, Stone County Coroner John Cunnyngham said Bakker was under the care of Compassus Hospice Care when he died Monday evening in Branson, Missouri. The coroner told the outlet he received the call around 7:45 PM. A cause of death has not been announced.
Bakker’s wife, Lori Bakker, announced his death Monday night on the official Instagram account for The Jim Bakker Show, writing that he had devoted 66 years to preaching and was committed to his ministry “until the very end.”
Was Jim Bakker in hospice care before his death?
Yes. TMZ reported that Bakker was under hospice care in Missouri at the time of his death on October 5, 2026, citing the Stone County coroner. The outlet reported that Bakker had been under the “immediate care” of a doctor through Compassus Hospice Care, though it is unclear how long he had been receiving hospice services.
His wife’s announcement did not mention hospice care or a cause of death, and the coroner said the cause of death remains unknown. Bakker had previously suffered a minor stroke in 2020, after which Lori had asked followers to pray for his recovery.
His body will be transferred to the Stumpff Funeral Home in Kimberling City, Missouri, according to the coroner. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.
Who was Jim Bakker?
Born James Orsen Bakker in Muskegon, Michigan, in January 1940, Bakker became one of the pioneers of Christian television. In 1974, he and his first wife, Tammy Faye, launched The PTL Club, a daytime program mixing preaching, music, and talk that built a massive audience through the 1970s and 1980s.
At their peak, the Bakkers presided over a multi-million-dollar religious empire that included the PTL Satellite Network and Heritage USA, a sprawling Christian theme park in South Carolina. Bakker was known for his theatrical on-air style and for promoting a message that closely tied faith to material blessing — an approach that made him enormously popular and, later, a target of intense scrutiny.
Why did Jim Bakker go to prison?
The empire collapsed in 1987. Bakker resigned from the PTL ministry on March 19, 1987, after it emerged that he had paid hush money to church secretary Jessica Hahn over an alleged sexual encounter, and that PTL had agreed to a settlement to keep the matter quiet.
The following year, Bakker was indicted on federal charges including mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy related to PTL’s finances. Prosecutors said he had misused ministry funds and sold “lifetime memberships” to a hotel that was never completed. He was convicted in 1989 and sentenced to 45 years in prison, though the sentence was later reduced and he was paroled in 1994 after serving about five years.
Tammy Faye, who was never charged in the fraud scandal, filed to end their marriage while he was imprisoned; their divorce became official in 1992. She later remarried and died of cancer in 2007.
What did Jim Bakker do after prison?
After his parole in 1994, Bakker married his second wife, Lori, and returned to televangelism. He restarted the PTL ministry and established Morningside Church in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri, hosting The Jim Bakker Show and, in later years, selling survivalist products to his audience.
His later years were not without controversy. In 2021, Bakker agreed to pay $156,000 in restitution to settle a Missouri lawsuit accusing his ministry of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure the coronavirus.
His life story reached a new generation through the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, in which Andrew Garfield portrayed Bakker opposite Jessica Chastain’s Tammy Faye. Chastain won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2022 for the role.
Bakker’s passing is one of several high-profile celebrity deaths BuzzCapitol has covered this month — including the recent Gypsy Rose Blanchard petition following the death of Ken Urker — and he joins a long line of television figures, from Saturday Night Live hosts like Dakota Johnson, whose careers played out in front of millions of viewers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old was Jim Bakker when he died?
He was 86. He was born in January 1940 and died on the evening of October 5, 2026.
Where did Jim Bakker die?
He died in Branson, Missouri, while under hospice care through Compassus Hospice Care, according to TMZ’s reporting with the Stone County coroner.
What was Jim Bakker’s cause of death?
No official cause of death has been announced. The Stone County coroner said it remains unknown. Bakker had previously suffered a minor stroke in 2020.
Who is Jim Bakker’s wife?
His second wife is Lori Bakker, whom he married after his parole in 1994. His first wife was Tammy Faye Bakker, his co-host on The PTL Club; they divorced in 1992.
Featured image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
