Scandal-ridden televangelist Jim Bakker mourned the death of his sister – just a week before his own passing at the age of 86.
asserted
Bakker → mourn → 86
Donna Puckett, 91, died in Hollister, Missouri, on Sept. 29, leaving Bakker and his second wife, Lori, “heartbroken,” an obituary revealed.
asserted
obituary → die → Bakker
“Donna was loved by so many people, and she loved her friends very much,” Bakker wrote on Facebook, announcing the death of his “precious” sister.
“Throughout the years, she served alongside me in ministry and touched the lives of more people than we will ever know.
asserted
we → love → people
“So many of you have special memories with Donna, moments you shared together, and stories she told that will never be forgotten.
asserted
that → have → Donna
“She loved my children deeply, and our entire family loved her and cared for her in a very special way.”
asserted
family → love → way
Bakker, who rose to prominence after launching the Christian TV show “The PTL Club,” paid tribute to how Puckett – who worked in the accounting department for his Praise the Lord Ministries – “loved Jesus with all her heart and she faithfully served the Lord for so many years.”
asserted
she → rise → years
“My heart hurts today, but I am thankful for every memory, every prayer, every song, every laugh, and every moment God gave us together,” he wrote.
asserted
he → hurt → us
Avid piano player Puckett, who had three grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, and her brother enjoyed a close relationship.
asserted
brother → have → relationship
She stood by him following his 1988 conviction for fraud and conspiracy.
asserted
She → stand → fraud
At one moment during the trial, Puckett sobbed when the judge, Robert MIller, asked her if Bakker would bond jump, UPI reported.
asserted
UPI → sob → her
“No way, no way,” she said, vehemently denying Bakker posed a flight risk.
asserted
Bakker → say → risk
Bakker reminisced on his sister’s loyalty in his moving tribute.
asserted
Bakker → reminisce → tribute
“Donna, thank you for loving me,” he said.
asserted
he → thank → me
I love you more than words can say.
asserted
words → love → you
I’ll see you again.”
asserted
I → see → you
Bakker’s death was announced by Lori, whom he married in 1998, on Monday.
asserted
he → announce → Monday
His cause of death hasn’t been revealed.
asserted
cause → reveal → death
“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening,” she wrote online.
asserted
she → share → Lord
“For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
asserted
Jim → give → Christ
He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry.”
asserted
I → honor → life
Bakker and Lori Bakker filmed “The Jim Bakker Show” near Branson, Missouri, since it launched in 2003.
asserted
it → film → 2003
Bakker was one of the country’s most famous televangelists in the late 1970s and 1980s – with his “PTL Club” attracting up to 13 million nightly viewers.
asserted
Club → attract → viewers
He was married to his first wife, Tammy Faye, when he launched the network.
asserted
he → launch → network
They tied the knot in 1961 after meeting at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis.
asserted
They → tie → Minneapolis
Bakker’s success also saw him open Heritage USA – a now-closed Christian-themed amusement park.
asserted
him → see → USA
But the preacher became embroiled in scandal in 1987 after a $279,000 hush-money payment Bakker made to church secretary Jessica Hahn came to light. She had accused him of raping her in 1980, People reported.
asserted
People → embroil → 1980
Bakker admitted to having sex with Hahn but insisted it was consensual
Jim
asserted
it → admit → Hahn
Bakker resigned from PTL — short for Praise the Lord — in the aftermath of the scandal, and Jerry Falwell took the helm of the embattled empire, ABC News reported in 2019.
asserted
News → resign → 2019
A federal investigation into PTL and the Bakkers, who had several homes, a jet, Rolls-Royces and other luxuries, soon followed.
asserted
who → have → homes
Bakker was initially sentenced to 45 years in prison but his sentence was reduced to eight years.
asserted
sentence → sentence → years
Tammy Faye initially stood by him but she filed for divorce in 1992 ahead of what would’ve been their 31st wedding anniversary.
asserted
what → stand → 1992
She died of colon cancer in 2007.
asserted
She → die → 2007
Bakker was caught up in scandal again, this time in 2021 when he and his Morningside Church Productions were forced to pay $156,000 for peddling a colloidal silver supplement they claimed could cure COVID-19.
uncertain
they → catch → COVID-19
The Aporia
