Jimmy Swaggart, once one of America’s most famous televangelists and gospel voices, has passed away at age 90 after spending two weeks in a Louisiana hospital, his family announced Tuesday
The influential preacher, whose rise to fame was later marred by scandal, died following a cardiac arrest on June 15. According to his son, Donnie Swaggart, Jimmy had been in critical condition and in need of a miracle.
A message posted on his
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. 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.”
From dirt roads to TV screens
Born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Jimmy Lee Swaggart began preaching in his teens and married Frances Anderson when he was just 17 and she was 15. The couple lived in deep poverty, preaching wherever they could.
Barely scraping by on just $30 a week — roughly $340 in today’s money — the Swaggarts were unable to afford a home of their own, they often found shelter wherever they could, staying in church basements, the homes of generous pastors, and cheap roadside motels.
But everything changed in 1969, when Swaggart began broadcasting on the radio. By 1971, he launched the Jimmy Swaggart Telecast, a television ministry that would grow to reach millions of homes each week.
By the early 1980s, Swaggart was one of the most recognizable faces in American Christianity. He founded the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge and opened a Bible college. Beyond preaching, Swaggart was a hugely successful gospel singer, selling over 15 million albums and even earning a Grammy nomination. He toured internationally, drawing huge crowds in Latin America, Africa, and beyond. Swaggart was actually a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, so music truly ran in his veins.
