Jimmy Swaggart, America’s longest-running televangelist, fighting for life in ICU after cardiac arrest

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: Reverend Jimmy Swaggart — whose voice once boomed across millions of American households for years — is reportedly clinging to life after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest on Sunday, June 15.

The 90-year-old firebrand televangelist was rushed to the ICU and remains in critical condition, and his loved ones are hoping for a miracle, Fox News reported.

During Sunday's service, his son, Reverend Donnie Swaggart, stood before the Family Worship Center congregation and asked them to keep his father in their prayers.

“On this Father’s Day, we urgently ask you to pray for Brother Swaggart,” Donnie shared. “He needs a miracle from heaven right now, this morning. We must have the Lord intervene in this situation, and we need your prayers,” he wrote in a Facebook post on his father’s official page.

“He’s my rock and my hero, and he needs the Lord’s healing power today. If I am able to get away, I will try to be at the service to give everyone an update," Donnie said in another post.

What happened to Jimmy Swaggart?

According to reports, Donnie Swaggart and his son Gabriel Swaggart rushed to Jimmy Swaggart’s home and took turns performing CPR as they waited for emergency responders to arrive.

“He never regained consciousness,” Donnie revealed. “We both took turns giving him chest compressions until EMT could get there. I’ve never seen so many people arrive at one time, and I want to thank them. They were able to get a heartbeat back.”

Though he was resuscitated at the scene, the prognosis remains uncertain at this time. “Right now, he is in ICU, and without a miracle, his time will be short. But we believe in God. We’re not giving up,” the family said.

On Monday, the Family Worship Center said there had been no improvement in Jimmy’s condition.

“As we mentioned, we will continue to keep you updated on how Brother Swaggart is doing,” a post on Jimmy's page read. “At this time, there has been no change in his condition. We ask that you continue to lift him up in prayer and believe God for a miracle, but above all, we trust in the Lord’s perfect will.”

The post added, “We kindly ask that you respect the privacy of the Swaggart family during this time and refrain from calling to inquire. For the latest information, please continue to follow our official Ministry social media pages listed below. Thank you, once again, for standing with us in faith and prayer.”

Jimmy Swaggart's storied but controversial legacy

Jimmy Swaggart’s name is nearly synonymous with American televangelism. According to his ministry’s website, he has preached the gospel of Jesus Christ on television longer than any other American evangelist in history.

He’s best known as the force behind the SonLife Broadcasting Network and as the longtime pastor of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Born in Ferriday, Louisiana, on March 15, 1935, Jimmy began full-time ministry work in 1955. By the mid-1980s, he had over two million households tuning into his sermons each week. In 1981, he was even nominated for a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance for his album 'Worship'.

But not all chapters in Jimmy's life have been so righteous. In 1987, his image took a hit after he was caught in a scandal involving a sex worker at a seedy New Orleans motel. Jimmy never confessed to anything specific but famously sobbed through a televised “I have sinned” speech

But just a few years later, police pulled him over in California with another suspected sex worker in his car.

Jimmy courted more controversy when he once declared during a worship service that he’d kill any gay man who looked at him romantically, albeit he later said the comment was made in jest and meant no harm.

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