US televangelist Jim Bakker, ensnared in fraud and sex scandal, dead at 86

US televangelist Jim Bakker has died at age 86, as announced by his second wife, Lori Bakker. Bakker rose to national prominence during the 1970s and 1980s, building a multimillion-dollar empire. However, he was later disgraced by a sex scandal and convicted in 1989 for defrauding followers regarding his Christian theme park, resulting in four and a half years in prison. His fall from opulence to incarceration drew frequent comparisons to the fictional character Elmer Gantry.