# Jim Bakker of PTL Club fame, dead at 86 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [October 6, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620 "2026-10-06T15:51:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620/21 "2026-10-07T18:21:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Perhaps I’m dense, but I’m trying to imagine what “skydiver Roger Nelson” could have done to earn years of torture like that. Did he 'chute somebody?? ETA: Nope. > In 1987, Nelson pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for unreported income related to his international drug smuggling operation. He served five years with time off for good behavior. Nelson, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Register # 95870–024, was released from BOP custody on December 18, 1992. [**Wikipedia**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nelson_(skydiver)) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620/22 "2026-10-07T18:25:24Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Perhaps I’m dense, but I’m trying to imagine what “skydiver Roger Nelson” could have done to earn years of torture like that. Tax evasion and drug smuggling, according to his Wikipedia entry. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620/23 "2026-10-07T18:56:51Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Did he 'chute somebody?? Hold still, you. _pulls out buggy whip_ ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620/24 "2026-10-07T22:50:16Z")
Dr. Gene was probably as greedy as most televangelists, but he was greedy and intelligent. His was no honorary doctorate from some podunk bible college; he had a PhD from Stanford. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620/25 "2026-10-09T00:01:17Z")
OK like 6 years back back when Bakker was doing his supplements schtick I made a rare post on one of my socials dragging him hard for it. Yesterday out of nowhere I got a reply notification and opened it to a longwinded screed about the wonders of collodial silver and how it is a gift from God and my mocking the faith multiple other miscellaneous issues from some rando … who had obviously been led by the news to make a search for Jim Bakker to tske a stand for him and ran into that post. Proceeded to block. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620/26 "2026-10-09T00:42:09Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > On his 1981 album _You Are What You Is_, Frank Zappa wrote a couple songs about Jim Bakker and others of his ilk. And the songs are not complimentary. What songs did Zappa ever write that were complimentary of _anyone_? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jim-bakker-of-ptl-club-fame-dead-at-86/1033620.md?page=1)