Who was Tammy Faye? Televangelist Jim Bakker’s first wife who helped him build a Christian TV empire

American televangelist and singer Tammy Faye, the first wife of Jim Bakker helped him build a multi-million-dollar Christian media empire in the 1970s and 1980s. Jim passed away on Monday, October 5. The huge broadcast and theme park empire founded by him and Tammy was marred with controversy and scandals.

Jim Bakker’s death was announced by his current wife Lori Bakker in an emotional social media post, saying her husband spent his life preaching the Gospel for 66 years.

Tammy and Jim met at a Bible college in Minnesota before getting married in 1961 and starting their own ministry in South Carolina.


Also Read: Who was Jim Bakker? Televangelist who built an empire based on faith and was rocked by a sex scandal, dies at 86

Who was Tammy Faye?

Tammy Faye was an American evangelist, singer, author, talk show host and a television personality. She was born in Minnesota to preacher parents in 1942.

Faye was known for her unconventional opinions on religion and her acceptance of the LGBT community. She interviewed Steven Pieters, a gay Christian Minister at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s, on her segment ‘Tammy’s House Party’ for The PTL Club talk show.

She was often regarded by her fans for her glamorous personality and her sensitive touch to the stories she hosted for the talk show. Faye often held candid conversations on topics considered taboo.

Jessica Chastain portrayed her in the 2021 film ‘The eyes of Tammy Faye’ which shows the early rise of Faye and her then husband Jim Bakker. Chastain went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Faye.

How did Tammy Faye die?

Tammy was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 1996 and suffered from the disease for 11 years before dying of it in 2007 at 65.

In March 2004 she had announced that she was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and would begin chemotherapy during an appearance on ‘Larry King Live’. She continued to receive chemotherapy till November 2004, when she announced that she was cancer-free.

Her cancer returned in 2005 and she announced it had reached stage 4 in 2006.

How did Tammy and Jim Bakker build their media empire?

After starting their travelling ministry, Tammy and Jim Bakker attracted the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson. They started a children’s puppet show on his Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), which ran until 1973.

Following the show’s end, they launched The PTL Club (Praise The Lord), a Christian talk show. The show grew in part due to Tammy’s eccentric aesthetic. The couple became America’s most famous televangelists by the mid-1970s after the show gained massive popularity.

They purchased airtime on TV stations across America to broadcast their various shows. In 1978, Jim launched a satellite network to distribute the paid programmes more effectively.

During the 1970s, Tammy also had a career as a recording artist and built a Christian retreat and theme park, Heritage USA along with Jim. The park ranked alongside Disneyland as one of the most popular theme parks in America.

How did The PTL Club collapse?

Jim Bakker was accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a former church secretary and using funds from PTL as hush money to silence her in 1987.

He was later sentenced to 45 years in prison for 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy over using funds raised through the show for his personal use and was forced to step down from his role. He ended up serving only five years.

Jim later purchased PTL’s trademark and logo. He most recently hosted ‘The Jim Bakker Show’ with his second wife Lori Bakker.

Faye divorced Bakker in 1992, while he was still in prison and got remarried to Roe Messner. She received huge publicity during Jim’s trial.

Tammy released three autobiographies during her lifetime, ‘I Gotta Be Me’ in 1978, ‘Tammy: Telling it My Way’ in 1996 and ‘I Will Survive and You Will Too!’ in 2003.

Who was Jim Bakker?

Jim Bakker was a longtime Christian television minister who built his media empire with Tammy. He was born in Michigan and started his career as a traveling preacher with Faye.

He returned to televangelism in 2003 with ‘The Jim Bakker Show’ with his second wife Lori Bakker, who he married in 1998.