Jimmy Swaggart, the influential US televangelist who captivated millions globally with his impassioned Christian sermons, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90.
Swaggart died from a heart attack at a hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as announced on the official Facebook page of his Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
The post stated, “Brother Swaggart has finished his earthly race and entered into the presence of His Savior, Jesus Christ,” adding that for over seven decades, he “poured out his life preaching the gospel, singing songs of the faith, and pointing millions to the saving power of Jesus Christ.”
A cousin to music icons Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, Swaggart gained significant prominence in the 1980s as the leader of his Louisiana-based Pentecostal church, the Assemblies of God.
His televised sermons, known for their fiery rhetoric and gospel music, attracted millions of viewers worldwide and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual donations.
At his peak, Swaggart was among the most prominent televangelists, alongside figures like Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Jim Bakker, who also faced a sex scandal.
Swaggart’s public downfall began in 1987 when he was photographed with a prostitute at a New Orleans motel.
The following year, he delivered a tearful televised confession, stating, “I have sinned against you, my Lord. I beg you to forgive me,” though he offered no specific details of his transgression.
Subsequently, Swaggart was defrocked by his church elders. While he continued to preach in the decades that followed, his once vast following and influence significantly diminished.
