Jimmy Swaggart

Jimmy Swaggart, the popular 1980s preacher and televangelist whose career endured through public scandal, died July 1, 2025 at the age of 90, following a heart attack two weeks earlier.

James Lee Swaggart was born to a Pentecostal family in Ferriday, Louisiana. His father, William Leon Swaggart, was a Pentecostal pastor, and his mother, Minnie Belle, was a musician who played in local churches. His first cousin was Jerry Lee Lewis, who would go on to be one of the early superstars of rock & roll music.

Swaggart began preaching at a young age, and by his teenage years, he was already conducting revival meetings. He married at 17 and lived in poverty, turning down a contract to make music for Sun Records because he wanted to preach instead. In the mid 1950s, not yet having found success, he conducted revival meetings from the back of a flatbed truck.

In 1971, Swaggart launched a radio show, giving him his first taste of a wider audience. Then, in 1975, he took a cue from the rise of television preachers of the era and began a weekly telecast of his own. It soon took off. By the early 1980s, his show was being broadcast on dozens of local stations. He also saw success as a gospel musician, too, earning a Grammy nomination in 1980 for his album, "Worship."

In 1988 and 1991, two extramarital sex scandals put Swaggart in headlines nationwide. The first of those prompted the Assemblies of God to defrock the televangelist, and his ministry became non-affiliated and nondenominational. Swaggart offered a tearful apology to his followers in what has become known as the "I have sinned" speech. Three years later, again in a similar situation, he told his congregation it was none of their business. The scandals hurt his career, but Swaggart found his footing again and kept on preaching.

In the 2000s, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries included "The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast," radio and television shows, and a cable and satellite network, SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN). His family played a big role in his live telecasts, which often featured large musical productions.

His son, Donnie Swaggart, is also a preacher, as is his grandson, Gabriel Swaggart, making it four generations of Swaggarts preaching the gospel.

-Legacy News Staff

(Photo: Associated Press)