Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, a singer whose flamboyant style was an essential part of the evangelical television programs she co-hosted with her then-husband, disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, died July 20 at her home near Kansas City, Mo. She was 65.
A taped interview with Mrs. Messner had appeared on CNN “Larry King Live” a day before her death. The ravages of her cancer were clearly visible and she was said to weigh only about 65 pounds. In the interview, she told King, “I talk to God every day. And I say, ‘God, my life is in your hands and I trust you with me.’ ”
Mrs. Messner, whose face was once one of the most familiar in the public arena, divorced Jim Bakker in 1992 while he was serving a prison sentence for fraud and conspiracy. Her fame continued in a reduced way, and in 1993,…
