Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, a prominent Louisiana televangelist, died at 90 after suffering a cardiac arrest on June 15, 2025, at his Baton Rouge home. Talk Louisiana Host Jim Engster says Swaggart was a kind, Christian man.
“He forgave others and ultimately had to seek forgiveness from his flock, and enough people forgave him that he continued and his ministry is still thriving, and it will go on after his death.”
Born in Ferriday, Swaggart founded Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and Bible College, serving as senior pastor of Family Worship Center. Ordained by the Assemblies of God in 1961, he was defrocked in 1988 after a prostitution scandal. Engster says even though he lost his credibility, he came back like a lion.
“He was a person of genuine belief. He was a survivor and 90 years, it was an amazing life.”
His television ministry, started in 1975, reached millions globally. A Grammy-nominated gospel artist, he sold over 15 million records. Engster says Swaggart, cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, gave up a successful commercial music career to be a minister.
“He could have been a musician. I know that in the pulpit, he would condemn rock and roll music but when his cousin Jerry Lee was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, guess who was in the front row in Cleveland? Jimmy Swaggart.”
Swaggart leaves behind his wife, Frances, and son, Donnie, who continue his ministry through SonLife Broadcasting.
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