Cliff Notes
- Jimmy Swaggart, a pivotal figure in US televangelism, passed away at the age of 90 following a cardiac arrest. His death was confirmed via his public Facebook page.
- Swaggart’s career, marked by significant achievement, faced controversies, including being defrocked in 1988 after a scandal involving a prostitute, which drastically reduced his audience.
- He began his evangelistic work in 1954 and was known for his extensive broadcasting, including the launch of the SonLife Broadcasting Network in 2010.
Jimmy Swaggart: Pioneer televangelist dies aged 90 | US News
Jimmy Swaggart – a pioneer of televangelism in the US – has died aged 90.
Last month, the American Pentecostal preacher suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Louisiana and was taken to a local hospital.
His death was announced on Tuesday on his public Facebook page, though no cause of death was given.
At one point, Mr Swaggart was the most famous TV evangelist in the US – preaching the word of God to millions of followers at home and abroad.
But his vast audience dwindled when he was caught on camera with a prostitute in 1988.
Mr Swaggart was serving as a co-pastor of the Family Worship Centre in Baton Rouge when he died.
He was born in 1935 – and “after a dramatic salvation experience at the age of eight, felt the call of God on his life.”
According to his website: “He spent hours reading the Bible, praying, and, after a certain revival meeting, decided to ask God for the talent to play the piano.”
Mr Swaggart’s first album, Some Golden Daybreak, was released in 1958. Since then, 17 million recordings have been sold.
The Grammy-nominated pastor took up evangelistic work full-time in 1954 and was ordained by the Assemblies of God in 1961.
He preached the gospel on TV for longer than any other American evangelist, according to his ministry’s website.
The Campmeeting Hour, Mr Swaggart’s first radio programme, aired in 1969 – and within five years, the show was broadcasting on 700 radio stations in the US.
His career in TV started in 1973 with the 30-minute weekly programme, The Jimmy Swaggart Evangelistic Association Presents Jimmy Swaggart, also known as the Jimmy Swaggart telecast.
In 2010, Mr Swaggart launched the SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN), a 24-hour Christian channel.
Prostitute scandals
He was defrocked by the Assemblies of God in 1988 after pictures surfaced of him with a prostitute.
The pictures were handed in by rival TV evangelist Marvin Gorman, who was also defrocked after Mr Swaggart accused him of “immoral dalliances” in 1986.
Following the scandal, Mr Swaggart delivered his famous “I have sinned” speech in front of a congregation of 7,000 in Baton Rouge, where he sobbed and asked for his wife’s forgiveness, while falling short of detailing what his sin was.
Mr Swaggart carried on as an independent Pentecostal preacher – but in 1991, he was found by police in California in the company of another prostitute after being stopped for a traffic violation.