Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, 90, is in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest at his Louisiana home on Sunday, according to his ministry. Son Donnie Swaggart said that he and his own son Gabriel rushed "to mother's house" in Baton Rouge after finding out the family patriarch was stricken and performed chest compressions until emergency responders arrived, reports WWLTV. Donnie Swaggart says his father never regained consciousness, but paramedics were able to revive a heartbeat before bringing him to the hospital, where he remains in intensive care, per CBS News.
"Without a miracle, his time will be short," Donnie Swaggart says. A Monday afternoon update on Jimmy Swaggart's Facebook page noted that "there has been no change in his condition" and asked fans to "continue to lift him up in prayer." Jimmy Swaggart, a prominent figure in American televangelism, started his ministry in the early 1960s. He founded the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, which remains a family-run operation, and his services are broadcast through the SonLife Broadcasting Network.
Swaggart's career has been marked by both influence and controversy. In 1988, he made headlines after being photographed with a sex worker outside a New Orleans-area hotel. He publicly confessed to "sinning" on live TV, though he didn't specify the details, and was subsequently defrocked by the Assemblies of God. Despite the scandal, Swaggart continued his ministry. Another incident involving a sex worker occurred in 1991, but Swaggart told his congregation that the matter was between him and God.
story continues below
In addition to his preaching, Swaggart has recorded gospel music and is the cousin of the late rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis. Swaggart spoke at Lewis' funeral in 2022, and the two collaborated on a gospel album shortly before Lewis' death. "We're going to give the Lord an opportunity to work," Donnie Swaggart said of his father's current condition, per WWLTV. "We will not give up, and whether he's healed here or there, God is still God." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
