| Singer, preacher, writer, talk show host, television star Date of Birth: 07.03.1942 Country: USA |
Tammy Faye Messner was an American singer, preacher, writer, talk show host, and television personality. She was born Tamara Faye LaValley in International Falls, Minnesota, to Carl and Rachel Fairchild LaValley, who were Pentecostal ministers. Tammy's parents got married a year before her birth but divorced soon after, which tarnished her mother's reputation in the church. However, the divorce did not significantly change Tammy's strict and rule-oriented upbringing.
Religion played a significant role in Tammy's life, and she always felt a strong presence of God in her heart. As a child, she attended summer Christian camps and sang in the school choir. After school, Tammy worked at the Woolworth store, where her aunt had previously worked. She was forbidden from attending school dances, baseball games, and even movie screenings, as her church did not approve of such activities. In 1960, her mother expressed her desire for Tammy to become a minister.
In 1960, Tammy met Jim Bakker, and they both attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tammy Faye worked in a boutique, while Jim worked in a restaurant at a local supermarket. They got married on April 1, 1961, and a year later, they moved to North Carolina, where they established their ministry. The couple had two children together, Tammy Sue Bakker Chapman and Jamie Charles Bakker, and later founded the "Club 700" in Charlotte.
Tammy and Jim hosted a popular children's show called "Jim and Tammy" and created the puppet ministry for children, which aired on Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network from 1964 to 1973. They also established the Trinity Broadcasting Network with the help of their friends, Paul and Jan Crouch, from California. In the mid-1970s, they founded the PTL (Praise the Lord) Club.
Tammy's role in the PTL Club was to provide sentimental stories and occasional singing. She was known for her relative tolerance towards homosexuals, even inviting people with AIDS on her show and asking viewers to pray for them. However, in 1987, the PTL Club faced a scandal when it was revealed that the club paid Jessica Hahn $287,000 to keep quiet about a sexual scandal involving Jim Bakker. The Bakkers' lavish lifestyle, including a doghouse with air conditioning and gold-plated fixtures in the bathroom, came to public attention.
In 1989, Jim Bakker was sentenced to forty-five years in prison for twenty-four counts of fraud and conspiracy. In 1992, Tammy filed for divorce, stating that she had only pretended that everything was normal. On October 3, 1993, Tammy married Roe Messner, who had helped raise money for Hahn and provided testimony in favor of Bakker during the trial. However, Messner himself faced financial troubles, and in 1990, he filed for bankruptcy owing thirty million dollars to more than three hundred creditors.
In addition to financial troubles, Tammy faced health issues. In 1996, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She experienced periods of remission but, by 2004, she was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Chemotherapy initially seemed to help, but the cancer returned within a year. Tammy's condition continued to deteriorate, and she appeared on Larry King's show in 2007 looking extremely frail.
On July 20, 2007, Tammy Faye Messner passed away at the age of sixty-five due to complications from her cancer. Her cause of death was attributed to colon cancer that had spread to her lungs. Throughout her life, Tammy faced numerous challenges and scandals but remained a prominent figure in American television and religious broadcasting.