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The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, America’s longest-serving TV evangelist and founder of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, has died at 90, his family shared on Tuesday.
During a Sunday service in mid-June, Swaggart’s son, the Rev. Donnie Swaggart, asked his congregation to keep his father in their prayers, saying that only a “miracle” could extend his father’s life.
“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. 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,” Swaggart’s family wrote Tuesday.
“He was not just a preacher—he was a worshiper, a warrior, and a witness to the grace and mercy of God. He was a man whose faith was steadfast and always entered whatever door the Lord opened. And the Lord honored that faith,” the statement continued.
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TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart preaches at Flora Blanca Stadium in El Salvador in 1987. (Cindy Karp/Getty Images)
Swaggart preached the gospel of Jesus Christ on television longer than any other American evangelist in history, according to his ministry website.
Swaggart, who was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, launched into full-time ministry in 1955. He served as the pastor of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and founded Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
At his peak in the mid-1980s, Swaggart was the country’s top-rated TV preacher. His services were broadcast to over 2 million households.
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Baton Rouge, La.: Reverend Jimmy Swaggart tearfully looks up to heaven, asking for God’s forgiveness, as he resigns from his ministry due to allegations of sexual misconduct. ((Photo taken of videotape supplied by Jimmy Swaggart Ministry to WBRZ-TV).)
However, his image was bruised after he was linked to a 1987 scandal involving a prostitute that he met in a seedy New Orleans motel. Swaggart never confessed to anything more than an unspecified sin during a televised apology in which he tearfully delivered his “I have sinned speech.” A few years later, he was stopped by police while driving in California with a suspected prostitute in his car.
Prominent evangelist Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, 90, was hospitalized in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest on June 15, members of his family shared. (Getty Images)
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Swaggart also made headlines for saying in a televised worship service that he would kill any gay man who looked at him romantically. Swaggart said he made the comment jokingly and did not mean any harm.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
