Dr. Paul F. Crouch, the founder of the Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), has died on Saturday.
He was 79, reported the Los Angeles Times. The paper reported that he had fallen sick and was taken to a Dallas hospital while he was visiting the area.
TBN also released a statement on its Facebook page, confirming his death.
“His legacy lives on through his family, TBN partners everywhere and the many people that he gave an opportunity. I am numbered amongst those beneficiaries. He may be gone but he will not be forgotten!” it reads.
The church said that he suffered “heart and related health issues” before his passing. He was later taken to a California hospital.
Crouch, who was born in 1934 in St. Joseph, Missouri, is survived by his wife and two sons.
A statement from the church last month said he had previously got treatment for a chronic heart condition for the past 10 years, and he got a pacemaker last year, the OC Register reported.
Crouch founded the Christian television network in 1973 with his wife, Jan Crouch. TBN is considered the largest Christian TV network in the world and is accessible via 84 satellite channels and has more than 18,000 television and cable affiliates across the globe.
According to the LA Times, Crouch’s life was shrouded in controversy, namely due to the opulent lifestyle that he and his wife had. Critics of him and the network said that his mansions, jets, and meals were paid for by tax-exempt donations by viewers of the TBN.
