10 notable Christian leaders, influencers who died in 2025
Jimmy Swaggart – July 1
Jimmy Swaggart, the popular Pentecostal preacher and televangelist who garnered national headlines last century for his extramarital affairs, died at age 90 following a cardiac arrest.
After a religious experience around age 8, Swaggart felt called by God to preach. In 1961, Swaggart was ordained in the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States.
Swaggart was the cousin of famed rock ’n’ roll performer Jerry Lee Lewis and had his own successful music career, releasing multiple albums and reportedly selling over 17 million recordings.
Swaggart had extensive influence through radio programming like the “The Campmeeting Hour” program, the magazine The Evangelist, and a 30-minute television program titled “The Jimmy Swaggart Evangelistic Association Presents Jimmy Swaggart.”
During the 1980s, Swaggart launched several evangelism crusades in the U.S. and abroad, with the largest one reportedly taking place in October 1987 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a conservative estimate of around 125,000 in attendance.
Swaggart faced much scrutiny in 1988, when he was found to be involved with a prostitute in New Orleans. In response, Swaggart delivered his famous tearful “I have sinned” confession before his congregation.
While the Assemblies of God defrocked Swaggart, he continued to serve as an independent Pentecostal pastor, even after he was again caught with a prostitute in California in 1991.
"Today was the day he has sung about for decades. He met his beloved Savior and entered the portals of glory. At the same time, we rejoice knowing that we will see him again one day," stated Swaggart's official Facebook page.
"He was not just a preacher — he was a worshiper, a warrior, and a witness to the grace and mercy of God. He was a man whose faith was steadfast and always entered whatever door the Lord opened. And the Lord honored that faith."
