Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, Whose Ministry Was Toppled By Prostitution Scandals, Dies At 90

UNITED STATES – FEBRUARY 01: Pentacostal preacher Jimmy Swaggart speaking at convention of religions broadcasters. (Photo by Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jimmy Swaggart, the televangelist whose multimillion-dollar ministry was crippled by his encounters with prostitutes, has died. He was 90. His death was announced Tuesday. The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of several TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and 1990s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. In a tearful 1988 sermon, he wept and apologized, telling parishioners across the nation, “I have sinned against you.”