Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart dies at 90, weeks after going into cardiac arrest

USA Today

a day ago

Famed teleevangelist Jimmy Swaggart died on Tuesday, July 1, according to an announcement on his Facebook page. He was 90.
The Pentecostal preacher and pioneer of televangelism was in critical condition at a Louisiana hospital after going into cardiac arrest on June 15, family members said during a recent prayer service.
Family of the late musician, author and broadcaster previously announced they had not expected him to survive.
"I wish I could tell you that (he's) recovering and things are going better but there has been no change," his son Donnie Swaggart, co-pastor at Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, said in a June 17 video released online after visiting his father in the hospital. "The bottom line is that without a miracle ... that's the only thing we can hope for."
Swaggart's hospitalization
Swaggart's 70-year-old son said his father was found about 8 a.m. at his home and revived before being taken to a local hospital.
At the time of his death, he was co-pastor of the Family Worship Center, which he founded.
Where was Jimmy Swaggart born?
Swaggart was born on March 15, 1935 to the late Willie Leon and Minnie Belle Swaggart in Ferriday, Louisiana. He had one sister, the late Jeanette Ensminger, who family confirmed died in 1999.
A prominent evangelist for decades, Swaggart grew up in Ferriday, a town in Concordia Parish which borders the Mississippi River on the central eastern border of Louisiana.
According to Swaggart's family, his cousins included rock-and-roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis and country music star Mickey Gilley.
Swaggart, who authored more than 100 books and commentaries, held evangelistic crusades in more than 40 countries, his family said, filling stadiums with tens of thousands of worshippers.
As a musician, he sold 17 million gospel albums.
More than 100 countries and a dozen languages
Swaggart "faithfully attended small Assemblies of God churches in Ferriday and Wisner, Louisiana, where his passion for ministry first began to take root," according to family.
His full-time ministry kicked off in 1955 and the preacher grew to become "one of the most recognized voices in Christian broadcasting," family reported.
In 1969, he launched "The Campmeeting Hour," which aired on more than 700 U.S. stations and in 1973, "The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast" started, eventually growing to reach more than 100 countries each week, being translated into more than a dozen languages.
During the height of his 1980s exposure, Swaggart became involved in various prostitution scandals leading to his suspension and defrocking. In 1988, Swaggart delivered his infamous "I have sinned" speech on live television.
In 1995, at age 60, Swaggart founded SonLife Radio Network, expanding gospel programming across North America which currently broadcast to more than 300 million TV homes across the globe.
In addition to his son and cousins, the preacher is survived by his wife of 70 years, Frances Swaggart. He also leaves behind his daughter-in-law, Debbie Swaggart; his grandchildren, Gabriel Lee Swaggart and his wife, Jill; Jennifer Swaggart Mullis and her husband, Cliff; and Matthew Aaron Swaggart and his wife, JoAnna. In addition, he leaves behind his nine great-grandchildren: Samantha, Ryder, Abby, Lola, Harper, Navy, Harrison, Caroline Frances and Mackenzie.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X @nataliealund.