HEARTBREAKING UPDATE: Jimmy Swaggart’s Family Makes Difficult Decisions As The 90-Year-Old Televangelist Faces His Most Fragile Moment Yet
A short time ago, Frances was with me when I went to see the cardiologist. I told him, half-joking and half-worried, “Doctor, I lose my breath after just a little bit. What do you think it is?” He never even looked up. He kept writing, kept studying his chart, and finally said, “It’s old age.”
Later, I went to see my primary doctor. I couldn’t remember what the visit was originally about, but I asked him the same thing: “What do you think is wrong?” He answered without hesitation, “Nothing. It’s just old age.”
And then last week, while I was reading Scripture — not singing, just reading — everything suddenly went blurry. The words on the page faded, and I couldn’t make out a single letter. So I went to the eye specialist… ophthalmologist, optometrist, whoever he was. I sat down and asked, “What do you think is causing this?”
Again, he answered, “Old age.”
At least,” I said, “they could have said it with a little concern.”
So what did I do? I had my secretary enlarge the text to three times its normal size.
But the truth is simple — and I’ve come to accept it. There’s only one thing worse than getting old… and that’s not getting old.
Even as he shared that moment of humor and honesty, the room softened. Behind the laughter, there was a deeper reality — one his family is now facing with heavy hearts.
In a deeply emotional announcement, Don Swaggart, the only son of Reverend Jimmy Swaggart, told the congregation at Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that their family is now confronting “very difficult and hard decisions.” After a severe heart attack, the 90-year-old televangelist remains in critical condition, and Don spoke with a quiet solemnity that shook the room.
He shared that they are “facing the end unless a miracle from God takes place.”
Don offered gratitude for the overwhelming prayers and messages pouring in from around the world. He acknowledged the love, the hope, and the faith that so many believers have expressed during this painful time.
An official update posted on Jimmy Swaggart’s Facebook page confirmed what many feared: there has been no significant change in his condition.
Just days earlier, on June 15, Don revealed that he and his son discovered Jimmy Swaggart at his home, unconscious from cardiac arrest. Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, where he was placed in intensive care and has remained unconscious ever since. Doctors continue to describe his condition as serious, and each passing day carries an uncertain weight.
Through all of this, the family has anchored themselves in prayer — the very foundation upon which Jimmy Swaggart built his decades-long ministry. As one of America’s most enduring televangelists, he has journeyed through triumphs and storms, singing with conviction about faith that carries us “through the long dark night, out on the open sea, by faith alone.”
Now, his own family finds themselves relying on the same faith he preached.
Whether this chapter ends in miracle or farewell, one thing is clear: Jimmy Swaggart’s legacy continues to touch millions, and the world is waiting, praying, and holding its breath along with his family.