Disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, whose television ministry was engulfed by sex and fraud scandals, has died at 86, as reported by The New York Post.

His widow, Lori Bakker, announced his death Monday in a statement posted on “The Jim Bakker Show” Facebook page.

“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.

She described Bakker as a pioneer of Christian television and a devoted preacher who spent 66 years spreading the Gospel.

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She also remembered him as her husband, best friend and partner through numerous chapters of life and ministry.

Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Bakker pursued televangelism as a young man after believing he had been called to “make Jesus real” to the world, according to the biography on his show’s website.

He attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, where he met Tammy Faye LaValley.

Bakker and LaValley married in 1961 before leaving college and becoming traveling evangelists. He preached while she sang and played the accordion at churches and tent revivals around the country.

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Bakker later believed he was “divinely inspired” to spread his message through television.

He joined Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network during the 1960s and became the first host of “The 700 Club,” according to his show’s website.

After eight years at CBN, Bakker left and traveled across the United States to launch television ministries before settling in Charlotte, North Carolina. His national prominence soared after he founded “The PTL Club.”

Bakker cohosted the Christian television program with Tammy Faye Bakker from 1974 until 1987.

Their multimillion dollar operation in South Carolina included the PTL Satellite Network and the Heritage USA theme park, which attracted millions of visitors before closing in 1989.

The empire began collapsing in 1987 when a $279,000 hush money payment to church secretary Jessica Hahn became public. Hahn had accused Bakker of raping her in 1980, according to People.

Bakker acknowledged having sex with Hahn but maintained that the encounter was consensual. He resigned from PTL, which stood for Praise the Lord, following the scandal, and Jerry Falwell took control of the troubled operation.

Federal investigators then examined PTL and the Bakkers, whose possessions included several homes, a jet, Rolls Royces and other luxuries. Bakker was eventually convicted on 24 fraud counts and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

He served five years before receiving parole in 1994, according to ABC. Bakker and Tammy Faye divorced in 1992 after 31 years of marriage and two children, and she died of cancer in 2007.

Following his prison release, Bakker began working with a ministry at the Los Angeles Dream Center in 1998. He met Lori Graham there, and the couple married that year.

In 2002, Bakker and Graham adopted five siblings from Phoenix, where Lori had ministered before meeting him. The couple returned to television ministry in 2003 with the launch of “The Jim Bakker Show.”

Controversy followed Bakker again in 2021. He and Morningside Church Productions were forced to pay $156,000 after promoting a colloidal silver supplement that they claimed could cure COVID-19.

“Jim loved people deeply. He loved this ministry, and he loved the friends and partners who stood with him throughout the years. Even in his final days, his heart was still for the work of God and for the Gospel to continue reaching the world,” Lori Bakker said.

“Our family is grieving and we ask for your prayers and privacy during this time. Jim finished his race with faith. His voice, his vision, and his legacy will never be forgotten.”

Bakker is survived by Lori and his nine children.

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