Jim Bakker, Fraud Televangelist Who Inspired Ozzy & Iron Maiden, Dead at 86
Jim Bakker, one of the most prominent televangelists of the 1980s whose legal downfall and headline-making scandals sparked a wave of classic rock protest songs, died of unspecified causes on Oct. 5 at the age of 86.
Bakker’s television career came to an abrupt halt in 1989 when he was convicted of defrauding followers out of at least $158 million, which included $3.7 million diverted for personal use. He also faced multiple sexual accusations, including the alleged rape of Jessica Hahn. Bakker denied those claims after paying $279,000 to secure her silence. Before his sentencing to 45 years in prison—a term later reduced to eight years—Bakker had faced a decade of investigations that repeatedly stalled without action, fueling suspicions of political protection.
How Rock Legends Took Aim at Bakker
The brazen corruption of Bakker and peers like Jimmy Swaggart ultimately drove changes to broadcasting laws. It also offered heavy metal and rock royalty plenty of lyrical ammunition. Ozzy Osbourne targeted Bakker and Swaggart on his 1988 track “Miracle Man.” Reflecting on the era in a later interview with Uncut, Osbourne noted, “They were always putting my records down and saying I was the Antichrist, and it turned out they weren’t so holy after all.”
Iron Maiden tackled the suspicious activities of televangelists in general with their 1990 single “Holy Smoke.” Speaking at the time of its release, frontman Bruce Dickinson pulled no punches in a statement: “This is about TV preachers and all the various lies they tell… I just had this big image of all those ovens in the death camps with the preachers’ feet sticking out, and holy smoke going up.” Swaggart was later referred to as “Jimmy Reptile” in connection with the band’s song.
Genesis and Black Sabbath Join the Chorus
Genesis skewered televangelism in 1991 with “Jesus He Knows Me,” taking direct aim at figures like Bakker through biting lyrics such as, “I believe in family / With my ever lovin’ wife beside me / But she don’t know about my girlfriend / Or the man I met last night.” A year later, the Ronnie James Dio-fronted Black Sabbath released “TV Crimes,” condemning the slickly marketed “supermarket of salvation” championed by preachers like Bakker.
The disgraced preacher’s cultural footprint extended well beyond metal and prog. Other musical critiques included The Mavericks’ “The End of the Line (Jim Bakker),” Sam Kinison’s “The Story of Jim (Bakker),” and Jeremy Messersmith’s “Jim Bakker.”
Following a five-year stint behind bars, Bakker was released from prison in 1995. He eventually returned to televangelism in 2003, publicly denouncing his past criminal behavior while pivoting toward doomsday preparation and selling survivalist products.
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