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India Today
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Jimmy Swaggart, televangelist rocked by prostitution scandals, dies at 90
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who became a household name amassing an enormous following and multimillion-dollar ministry only to be undone by his penchant for prostitutes, has died decades after his once vast audience dwindled and his name became a punchline on late night television. His death was announced Tuesday on his public Facebook page. A cause wasn't immediately given, though at 90 he had been in poor Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and '90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. Swaggart encapsulated his downfall in a tearful 1988 sermon, in which he wept and apologized but made no reference to his connection to a prostitute.'I have sinned against you,' Swaggart told parishioners nationwide. 'I beg you to forgive me.' He announced his resignation from the Assemblies of God later that year, shortly after the church said it was defrocking him for rejecting punishment it had ordered for 'moral failure.'The church had wanted him to undergo a two-year rehabilitation program, including not preaching for a full year. Swaggart said at the time that he knew dismissal was inevitable but insisted he had no choice but to separate from the church to save his ministry and Bible poverty and oil fields to a household name, Swaggart grew up poor, the son of a preacher, in a music-rich family. He excelled at piano and gospel music, playing and singing with talented cousins who took different paths: rock-'n'-roller Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, Swaggart said he first heard the call of God at age 8. The voice gave him goose bumps and made his hair tingle, he said.'Everything seemed different after that day in front of the Arcade Theater,' he said in a 1985 interview with the Jacksonville Journal-Courier in Illinois. 'I felt better inside. Almost like taking a bath.'- Ends
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Controversial Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart Dies at Age 90—Days After Suffering Cardiac Arrest at His Louisiana Home
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart has died at the age of 90, less than a month after it was revealed that he had suffered cardiac arrest at his longtime home in Baton Rouge, LA. The Pentecostal preacher, whose popular career was sensationally derailed in the 1980s after he became embroiled in a prostitution scandal, was hospitalized in his native Louisiana following the incident. His family has not revealed where exactly he died. Sharing the news in a post on Swaggart's official Facebook page, a spokesperson for the Swaggart family paid tribute to staff at the Baton Rouge General Medical Center for their 'incredible support and care,' while calling out the televangelist's unwavering faith. 'Today, our hearts are heavy as we share that Brother Swaggart has finished his earthly race and entered into the presence of His Savior, Jesus Christ,' the statement reads. 'Today was the day he has sung about for decades. He met his beloved Savior and entered the portals of glory. At the same time, we rejoice knowing that we will see him again one day. 'For over seven decades, Brother Swaggart poured out his life preaching the gospel, singing songs of the faith, and pointing millions to the saving power of Jesus Christ and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. His voice echoed through nations, his music softened hearts, and his message never changed: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.' The statement went on to encourage Swaggart's followers to keep his family members in their prayers, including his wife, Frances, his son, Donnie, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Swaggart's passing comes more than 80 years after he first 'heard the call of God' at the young age of 8, according to the Associated Press. Speaking about that life-changing moment in a 1985 interview with the Jacksonville Journal-Courier, the televangelist, who was raised in Ferriday, LA, said that 'everything seemed different' after he felt the call. 'I felt better inside. Almost like taking a bath.' According to his website, Swaggart was born into a family of gifted musicians, who fostered his love of music from an early age—ultimately propelling him to a successful career as a gospel singer. Though he began preaching at an early age, Swaggart did not fully commit to his ministry until the age of 23, a career path that later led to his first appearances on TV. It was those TV appearances that turned Swaggart—who wed his wife, Frances, when he was just 17—into a national legend, with his sermons broadcast across hundreds of TV stations across the U.S., before later being made available in other languages. 'In 1973 Reverend Swaggart started production of a thirty-minute weekly television program titled, 'The Jimmy Swaggart Evangelistic Association Presents Jimmy Swaggart,' also known as the 'Jimmy Swaggart telecast,'' his website states. 'That same year, the evangelist hired a local television crew to tape his meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. At that time, his was the Christian organization attempting to tape live church services. The process took some refining, but by 1975, Reverend Swaggart and his television crews were able to capture the services live and replay them on his weekly program. 'In 1979, The Jimmy Swaggart Broadcast increased to a one-hour format and was watched by millions of viewers on Sunday mornings. Two years later, in 1981, Reverend Swaggart added a thirty-minute daily television program called A Study In The Word, which still airs today.' According to AP, by 1986, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries was estimated to be making a staggering $142 million. However, in 1988, his career was blown apart when the televangelist was caught on camera with a prostitute at a seedy New Orleans motel, a scandal that saw many of his followers turn their backs on his teachings and his ministry. Swaggart never addressed the scandal specifically. However, he tearfully told his congregation during a televised sermon that same year: 'I have sinned against you. I beg you to forgive me.' He faced yet another scandal in 1992, when he was stopped by police in California who discovered that he had a suspected prostitute in his vehicle. Though the controversies did not stop Swaggart from continuing to preach, they dented his reputation and significantly decreased his audience, while his dominance over religious broadcasting came to a very sudden end. However, his eponymous Jimmy Swaggart Ministry remains open to this day—and boasts multiple locations in and around Baton Rouge, where he and his family have been based for many years. Per his website, his Family Worship Center, which serves as the headquarters for his ministry, opened in 1984 and Swaggart was still serving as its senior pastor up until his death. However, his son, Donnie, had taken over many of the day-to-day services. 'The architectural design of the church is circular in plan with lively acoustics and a gentle slope toward the altar that makes it ideal for those in the congregation to experience the music and ministry in a powerful way,' his website states. Swaggart's personal home is located just a 15-minute drive from the circular church, with records showing that his residence is registered to the Family Worship Center. The dwelling is actually made up of three separate adjacent properties, all of which are listed under the church. Aerial images reveal that the central home in the trio boasts an opulent swimming pool, as well as beautifully landscaped grounds. According to records, the property is one of dozens that are registered to Swaggart's numerous businesses, including his eponymous ministry and the Family Worship Center. EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Mahomes' Childhood Home in Texas Finds a Buyer After Mom Randi Slashed Her Asking Price Nick and Vanessa Lachey List Encino Pad for $7.4 Million—Less Than a Year After Quitting Hawaii To Return to California Joe Burrow and Olivia Ponton Appear To Confirm Romance With New York Date Night—Months After Model Reported Burglary at His House
Chicago Tribune
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose ministry was toppled by prostitution scandals, dies at 90
BATON ROUGE, La. — Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who became a household name amassing an enormous following and multimillion-dollar ministry only to be undone by his penchant for prostitutes, has died. Swaggart died decades after his once vast audience dwindled and his name became a punchline on late night television. His death was announced Tuesday on his public Facebook page. A cause wasn't immediately given, though at 90 he had been in poor health. The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and '90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. Swaggart encapsulated his downfall in a tearful 1988 sermon, in which he wept and apologized but made no reference to his connection to a prostitute. 'I have sinned against you,' Swaggart told parishioners nationwide. 'I beg you to forgive me.' He announced his resignation from the Assemblies of God later that year, shortly after the church said it was defrocking him for rejecting punishment it had ordered for 'moral failure.' The church had wanted him to undergo a two-year rehabilitation program, including not preaching for a full year. Swaggart said at the time that he knew dismissal was inevitable but insisted he had no choice but to separate from the church to save his ministry and Bible college. Swaggart grew up poor, the son of a preacher, in a music-rich family. He excelled at piano and gospel music, playing and singing with talented cousins who took different paths: rock-'n'-roller Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey Gilley. In his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, Swaggart said he first heard the call of God at age 8. The voice gave him goose bumps and made his hair tingle, he said. 'Everything seemed different after that day in front of the Arcade Theater,' he said in a 1985 interview with the Jacksonville Journal-Courier in Illinois. 'I felt better inside. Almost like taking a bath.' He preached and worked part time in oil fields until he was 23. He then moved entirely into his ministry: preaching, playing piano and singing gospel songs with the barrelhouse fervor of cousin Lewis at Assemblies of God revivals and camp meetings. Swaggart started a radio show, a magazine, and then moved into television, with outspoken views. He called Roman Catholicism 'a false religion. It is not the Christian way,' and claimed that Jews suffered for thousands of years 'because of their rejection of Christ.' 'If you don't like what I say, talk to my boss,' he once shouted as he strode in front of his congregation at his Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, where his sermons moved listeners to speak in tongues and stand up as if possessed by the Holy Spirit. Swaggart's messages stirred thousands of congregants and millions of TV viewers, making him a household name by the late 1980s. Contributors built Jimmy Swaggart Ministries into a business that made an estimated $142 million in 1986. His Baton Rouge complex still includes a worship center and broadcasting and recording facilities. Swaggart's downfall came in the late 1980s as other prominent preachers faced similar scandals. Swaggart said publicly that his earnings were hurt in 1987 by the sex scandal surrounding rival televangelist Jim Bakker and a former church secretary at Bakker's PTL ministry organization. The following year, Swaggart was photographed at a hotel with Debra Murphree, an admitted prostitute who told reporters that the two did not have sex but that the preacher had paid her to pose nude. She later repeated the claim — and posed nude — for Penthouse magazine. The surveillance photos that crippled Swaggart's career apparently stemmed from his rivalry with preacher Marvin Gorman, whom Swaggart had accused of sexual misdeeds. Gorman hired the photographer who captured Swaggart and Murphree on film. Swaggart later paid Gorman $1.8 million to settle a lawsuit over the sexual allegations against Gorman. More trouble came in 1991, when police in California detained Swaggart with another prostitute. The evangelist was charged with driving on the wrong side of the road and driving an unregistered Jaguar. His companion, Rosemary Garcia, said Swaggart became nervous when he saw the police car and weaved when he tried to stuff pornographic magazines under a car seat. Swaggart was later mocked by the late TV comic Phil Hartman, who impersonated him on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live.' The evangelist largely stayed out of the news in later years but remained in the pulpit at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, often joined by his son, Donnie, a fellow preacher. His radio station broadcast church services and gospel music to 21 states, and Swaggart's ministry boasted a worldwide audience on the internet. 'There's been no greater example of a good and faithful servant than my father. No ifs, ands and buts about it. A man who lived his life for the cause of Christ,' Donnie Swaggart said in a video message shared on social media Sunday about his dad's final days. The preacher caused another brief stir in 2004 with remarks about being 'looked at' amorously by a gay man. 'And I'm going to be blunt and plain: If one ever looks at me like that, I'm going to kill him and tell God he died,' Jimmy Swaggart said, to laughter from the congregation. He later apologized. Swaggart made few public appearances outside his church, save for singing 'Amazing Grace' at the 2005 funeral of Louisiana Secretary of State Fox McKeithen, a prominent name in state politics for decades. In 2022, he shared memories at the memorial service for Lewis, his cousin and rock 'n' roll pioneer. The pair had released 'The Boys From Ferriday,' a gospel album, earlier that year.
American Press
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose ministry was toppled by prostitution scandals, dies at 90
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose ministry was toppled by prostitution scandals, dies at 90 Published 11:11 am Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who became a household name amassing an enormous following and multimillion-dollar ministry only to be undone by his penchant for prostitutes, has died. Swaggart died decades after his once vast audience dwindled and his name became a punchline on late night television. His death was announced Tuesday on his public Facebook page. A cause wasn't immediately given, though at 90 he had been in poor health. The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of successful TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and '90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. Email newsletter signup Swaggart encapsulated his downfall in a tearful 1988 sermon, in which he wept and apologized but made no reference to his connection to a prostitute. 'I have sinned against you,' Swaggart told parishioners nationwide. 'I beg you to forgive me.' He announced his resignation from the Assemblies of God later that year, shortly after the church said it was defrocking him for rejecting punishment it had ordered for 'moral failure.' The church had wanted him to undergo a two-year rehabilitation program, including not preaching for a full year. Swaggart said at the time that he knew dismissal was inevitable but insisted he had no choice but to separate from the church to save his ministry and Bible college. From poverty and oil fields to a household name Swaggart grew up poor, the son of a preacher, in a music-rich family. He excelled at piano and gospel music, playing and singing with talented cousins who took different paths: rock-'n'-roller Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey Gilley. In his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, Swaggart said he first heard the call of God at age 8. The voice gave him goose bumps and made his hair tingle, he said. 'Everything seemed different after that day in front of the Arcade Theater,' he said in a 1985 interview with the Jacksonville Journal-Courier in Illinois. 'I felt better inside. Almost like taking a bath.' He preached and worked part time in oil fields until he was 23. He then moved entirely into his ministry: preaching, playing piano and singing gospel songs with the barrelhouse fervor of cousin Lewis at Assemblies of God revivals and camp meetings. Swaggart started a radio show, a magazine, and then moved into television, with outspoken views. He called Roman Catholicism 'a false religion. It is not the Christian way,' and claimed that Jews suffered for thousands of years 'because of their rejection of Christ.' 'If you don't like what I say, talk to my boss,' he once shouted as he strode in front of his congregation at his Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, where his sermons moved listeners to speak in tongues and stand up as if possessed by the Holy Spirit. Swaggart's messages stirred thousands of congregants and millions of TV viewers, making him a household name by the late 1980s. Contributors built Jimmy Swaggart Ministries into a business that made an estimated $142 million in 1986. His Baton Rouge complex still includes a worship center and broadcasting and recording facilities. The scandals that led to Swaggart's ruin Swaggart's downfall came in the late 1980s as other prominent preachers faced similar scandals. Swaggart said publicly that his earnings were hurt in 1987 by the sex scandal surrounding rival televangelist Jim Bakker and a former church secretary at Bakker's PTL ministry organization. The following year, Swaggart was photographed at a hotel with Debra Murphree, an admitted prostitute who told reporters that the two did not have sex but that the preacher had paid her to pose nude. She later repeated the claim — and posed nude — for Penthouse magazine. The surveillance photos that crippled Swaggart's career apparently stemmed from his rivalry with preacher Marvin Gorman, whom Swaggart had accused of sexual misdeeds. Gorman hired the photographer who captured Swaggart and Murphree on film. Swaggart later paid Gorman $1.8 million to settle a lawsuit over the sexual allegations against Gorman. More trouble came in 1991, when police in California detained Swaggart with another prostitute. The evangelist was charged with driving on the wrong side of the road and driving an unregistered Jaguar. His companion, Rosemary Garcia, said Swaggart became nervous when he saw the police car and weaved when he tried to stuff pornographic magazines under a car seat. Swaggart was later mocked by the late TV comic Phil Hartman, who impersonated him on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live.' Out of the public eye but still in the pulpit The evangelist largely stayed out of the news in later years but remained in the pulpit at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, often joined by his son, Donnie, a fellow preacher. His radio station broadcast church services and gospel music to 21 states, and Swaggart's ministry boasted a worldwide audience on the internet. 'There's been no greater example of a good and faithful servant than my father. No ifs, ands and buts about it. A man who lived his life for the cause of Christ,' Donnie Swaggart said in a video message shared on social media Sunday about his dad's final days. The preacher caused another brief stir in 2004 with remarks about being 'looked at' amorously by a gay man. 'And I'm going to be blunt and plain: If one ever looks at me like that, I'm going to kill him and tell God he died,' Jimmy Swaggart said, to laughter from the congregation. He later apologized. Swaggart made few public appearances outside his church, save for singing 'Amazing Grace' at the 2005 funeral of Louisiana Secretary of State Fox McKeithen, a prominent name in state politics for decades. In 2022, he shared memories at the memorial service for Lewis, his cousin and rock 'n' roll pioneer. The pair had released 'The Boys From Ferriday,' a gospel album, earlier that year. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prostitution scandal televangelist Jimmy Swaggart dies at 90
US televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose multimillion-dollar ministry and huge audience dwindled after a prostitution scandal, has died at the age of 90. His death was announced on Tuesday on his public Facebook page. A cause was not immediately given, although he had been in ill health. The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a sex worker in New Orleans in 1988, one of a string of major TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and 1990s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. Mr Swaggart encapsulated his downfall in a tearful 1988 sermon in which he wept and apologised but made no reference to his connection to a prostitute. 'I have sinned against you,' he told parishioners nationwide. 'I beg you to forgive me.' He announced his resignation from the Assemblies of God later that year, shortly after the church said it was defrocking him for rejecting punishment it had ordered for 'moral failure'. The church had wanted him to undergo a two-year rehabilitation programme including not preaching for a full year. He said at the time that he knew dismissal was inevitable but insisted he had no choice but to separate from the church to save his ministry and Bible college. Mr Swaggart grew up poor, the son of a preacher in a music-rich family. He excelled at piano and gospel music, playing and singing with talented cousins who took different paths: rock 'n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis and country singer Mickey Gilley. In his home town of Ferriday, Louisiana, Mr Swaggart said he first heard the call of God at the age of eight. The voice gave him goosebumps and made his hair tingle, he said. 'Everything seemed different after that day in front of the Arcade Theatre,' he said in a 1985 interview with the Jacksonville Journal-Courier in Illinois. 'I felt better inside. Almost like taking a bath.' He preached and worked part time in oil fields until he was 23. He then moved entirely into his ministry: preaching, playing piano and singing gospel songs at Assemblies of God revivals and camp meetings. He started a radio show and a magazine, and then moved into TV with outspoken views. He called Roman Catholicism 'a false religion. It is not the Christian way', and claimed that Jews suffered for thousands of years 'because of their rejection of Christ'. 'If you don't like what I say, talk to my boss,' he once shouted as he strode in front of his congregation at his Family Worship Centre in Baton Rouge, where his sermons moved listeners to speak in tongues and stand up as if possessed by the Holy Spirit. Mr Swaggart's messages stirred thousands of congregants and millions of TV viewers, making him a household name by the late 1980s. Contributors built Jimmy Swaggart Ministries into a business that made an estimated 142 million dollars in 1986. His Baton Rouge complex still includes a worship centre and broadcasting and recording facilities. His downfall came in the late 1980s as other prominent preachers faced similar scandals. Mr Swaggart said publicly that his earnings were damaged in 1987 by the sex scandal surrounding rival televangelist Jim Bakker and a former church secretary at Mr Bakker's PTL ministry organisation. The following year, Mr Swaggart was photographed at a hotel with Debra Murphree, an admitted prostitute who told reporters the two did not have sex but that the preacher had paid her to pose nude. She later repeated the claim — and posed nude — for Penthouse magazine. The surveillance photos that crippled Mr Swaggart's career apparently stemmed from his rivalry with preacher Marvin Gorman, whom Mr Swaggart had accused of sexual misdeeds. Mr Gorman hired the photographer who captured Mr Swaggart and Ms Murphree on film. Mr Swaggart later paid Mr Gorman 1.8 million dollars to settle a lawsuit over the sexual allegations against Mr Gorman. More trouble came in 1991 when police in California detained Mr Swaggart with another sex worker. The evangelist was charged with driving on the wrong side of the road and driving an unregistered Jaguar. His companion, Rosemary Garcia, said he became nervous when he saw the police car and weaved when he tried to stuff pornographic magazines under a car seat. He was later mocked by the late TV comic Phil Hartman, who impersonated him on NBC's Saturday Night Live. The evangelist largely stayed out of the news in later years but remained in the pulpit at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, often joined by his son Donnie, a fellow preacher. His radio station broadcast church services and gospel music to 21 states, and the ministry developed a worldwide audience on the internet. The preacher caused another brief stir in 2004 with remarks about being 'looked at' amorously by a gay man. 'And I'm going to be blunt and plain: if one ever looks at me like that, I'm going to kill him and tell God he died,' Mr Swaggart said, to laughter from the congregation. He later apologised. He made few public appearances outside his church, except for singing Amazing Grace at the 2005 funeral of Louisiana secretary of state Fox McKeithen, a prominent name in state politics for decades. In 2022, Mr Swaggart shared memories at the memorial service for Lewis, his cousin. The pair had released The Boys From Ferriday, a gospel album, earlier that year.
