Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker) dies

Tammy Faye Messner, who was once married to PTL televangelist Jim Bakker, died at age 65 from cancer. She was married to Jim Bakker for 30 years and was instrumental in founding the PTL Club and Heritage USA. She divorced Bakker where he served time in prison for fraud (overselling the Lifetime Partnerships to PTL donors). She married Jim's best friend, Roe Messner, a general contractor who helped build PTL and Heritage USA in North and South Carolina. The PTL scandal was revealed in 1987 when it was exposed by the Charlotte Observer newspaper that Jim Bakker had a tryst with Jessica Hahn, a church secretary from Long Island, New York. Tammy Faye stayed by Jim until he went to prison after his federal conviction in 1989, due in part by efforts of Jerry Falwell after he accused the Bakkers of greed and avarice. At least she outlived Jerry Falwell! Jack Chick warned of the Bakkers' compromise of the Gospel over their PTL network when Jim and Tammy Faye invited nuns and priests on their television program. See "Smokescreens" by JTC