Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, 90, dies following hospitalization

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Jimmy Swaggart gestures with a Bible to a crowd at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1987. Associated Press / Photo by Mark Avery

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, 90, dies following hospitalization

Pentecostal televangelist and gospel singer Jimmy Swaggart died on Tuesday after a hospitalization for a heart attack. He was 90 years old.

“Today was the day he has sung about for decades,” his family wrote on Facebook. Swaggart has met Jesus, they said. They also referenced Scripture, saying that Swaggart has finished his earthly race. The family said they were sad while looking forward to seeing him again one day.

The family thanked staff, doctors, and nurses at Baton Rouge General Medical Center in Louisiana. Swaggart suffered a heart attack on the morning of Sunday, June 15. He was hospitalized in critical condition after the crisis.

Looking back, the family described him as more than a preacher: “a worshiper, a warrior, and a witness to the grace and mercy of God.”

Who is Jimmy Swaggart? Born in Ferriday, La., in 1935, Swaggart began preaching in 1955 and released his first gospel music album in 1958, according to his ministry’s website. In later years, Swaggart founded radio and television programs and began televising his church services. He was one of the first Christian broadcasters to translate programming for international audiences, according to his website.

Swaggart’s ministry peaked in the 1980s with his television program reaching more than 3,000 stations. He held crusade services in packed stadiums around the United States and in more than 40 other countries, according to his website. Swaggart also founded his church, Family Worship Center, and a Bible college in 1984, according to his ministry’s website.

In 1988, following an investigation by his denomination, Swaggart confessed to adultery. He ultimately resigned from the Assemblies of God before the denomination cut his pastoral credentials. But he continued a ministry as an independent Pentecostal pastor.

Swaggart founded the Sonlife Broadcasting Network in 2010. He also authored many books, sold more than 17 million recordings, and received several Dove awards for his music, according to his ministry’s website.