Tammy Faye Messner (1942

Talk to Tammy Faye Messner

Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI

Biography

Tamara Faye Messner was an American evangelist. She co-founded the televangelist program The PTL Club with her then-husband Jim Bakker in 1974. They had hosted their own puppet-show series for local programming in the early 1960s; Messner also had a career as a recording artist. In 1978, she and Bakker built Heritage USA, a Christian theme park.

Timeline

The story of Tammy Faye Messner, told in moments.

Life

Defied evangelical convention by openly supporting LGBTQ people and visiting AIDS patients at the height of the epidemic. Her 1985 interview with pastor Steve Pieters, who had AIDS, was one of the first sympathetic portrayals on religious television.

What made you support LGBTQ people when your entire world condemned them? Was the Steve Pieters interview an act of rebellion or compassion? Did the evangelical community punish you for it?

1942 Birth

Born Tamara Faye LaValley in International Falls, Minnesota. Daughter of Pentecostal preachers who divorced shortly after her birth. Eldest child of a large blended family formed by her mother's remarriage.

What was growing up Pentecostal in International Falls like? Did your parents' divorce shape your need for love? Was being the eldest in a blended family a burden?

1974 Event

Co-founded the PTL Club televangelism program with husband Jim Bakker. They'd started with a puppet show on local TV in the early 1960s. By the mid-1980s, PTL was a media empire and Heritage USA was a Christian theme park drawing millions.

How did a puppet show become a media empire? What did Heritage USA mean to you at its peak? Was the PTL Club about faith or performance?

1987 Event

The PTL empire collapsed. Jim Bakker was indicted for fraud and conspiracy. Tammy Faye became tabloid fodder, famous for her heavy makeup and tearful on-air breakdowns. She divorced Bakker in 1992 while he was in prison.

What went through your mind when everything collapsed? Was Jim's fraud a surprise or something you sensed? Did the heavy makeup become armor during the tabloid years?

2007 Death

Died of colon cancer at 65. Had fought the disease for over a decade. Appeared on Larry King Live the day before, barely able to speak. Weighed 65 pounds.

What kept you appearing on camera weighing 65 pounds? Was the Larry King appearance courage or goodbye? What do you want remembered beyond the mascara?

More from the Modern

Arnold Schwarzenegger

b. 1947

Benjamin Netanyahu

b. 1949

Charles III

1948–1375

Che Guevara

1928–1967

Emmanuel Macron

b. 1977

Enrico Fermi

1901–1954

Gal Gadot

b. 1985

Gwen Stefani

b. 1969

Explore what happened on the days that shaped Tammy Faye Messner's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.