Billy Graham’s son recalls Jim Bakker’s ‘Am I invited?’ visit. Bakker died Monday at 86

N.C. evangelist Franklin Graham said Tuesday he was “saddened” to hear of fellow evangelist Jim Bakker’s death.

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Bakker, whose PTL empire near Charlotte, North Carolina, collapsed during sex and money scandals in the 1980s, died Monday, according to his wife, Lori, on his Instagram page. She did not say how he died or where. He was 86.

Bakker gave Samaritan’s Purse, Graham’s Boone-based international disaster relief organization, “its first major television exposure,” Graham told The Charlotte Observer in an email. “And I will be forever grateful for his support and help.”

Graham said Bakker “enjoyed helping other people.”

“He showcased many ministries on his program and introduced numerous preachers of the Gospel to a much broader audience,” Graham said.

Graham said he last saw Bakker a few days before the funeral of his father, the Rev. Billy Graham, in Charlotte in 2018.

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“He came by my office to see me and give his personal condolences,” Franklin Graham said. “I asked him if he would be at the funeral, and he said, ‘Am I invited?’ I told him that he was absolutely invited and that my father would be disappointed if he wasn’t there.

“Jim was a friend, and he will be missed,” Franklin Graham said. “My prayers are with his family.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2026 at 4:39 PM with the headline “Billy Graham’s son recalls Jim Bakker’s ‘Am I invited?’ visit. Bakker died Monday at 86.”

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