Branson, Missouri – American televangelist Jim Bakker, who built a lucrative media empire before being disgraced by a sex scandal and financial crimes, has died at the age of 86.

Bakker died on Monday, his second wife Lori Bakker said in a statement on The Jim Bakker Show's Instagram account. She did not specify the cause of death.

"It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening," Lori said.

"He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry."

Kim Kardashian Kim Kardashian reveals shocking number of nannies for her 4 kids: "I do worry about it"

The couple hosted The Jim Bakker Show, which they launched in 2003.

Bakker, along with his first wife Tammy Faye Messner, rose to prominence in the 1980s, achieving fame on their evangelical program The PTL Club. PTL stood for Praise The Lord or People That Love.

But Bakker later fell into disgrace over a sex scandal and financial crimes.

In 1989, Bakker was found guilty of defrauding followers who sent him 158 million dollars for partnerships at his Heritage USA Christian vacation park in South Carolina.

Tammy Faye divorced Bakker in 1992 and became a prominent and compassionate champion for the LGBTQ community.