Memories of Tammy Faye

2020-03-07

Tamara Faye LaValley Bakker Messner
March 7, 1942 – July 20, 2007

In the beginning there was Tamy Faye Bakker. She was a charismatic christian performer and recording artist and was a favorite of the many children of my friends during the old days sporting a heavy makeup regimen and singing songs of religious praise at the drop of a hat.

She and her then husband Jim Bakker founded The PTL Club which was billed as a televangelist vehicle but appeared mostly a conduit for contributions which were then funnelled into a Christian theme park called Heritage USA.

They could not stand the overwhelming scrutiny of investigative reporters — one of whom was my room mate at Maxy College of the University of South Carolina during that time frame — checking them out and Jerry Falwell ended up owning the thing after taking a ride down the huge water slide featured there ... in a suit as I recall.

So my earliest recollections of Tammy Faye were pretty negative to say the least.

After the PTL / Heritage USA debacle she remained pretty much who she was and unscathed by all the controversy into which she had become immersed.

I must say that I was taken with that consistency of her persona during it all and she even said that all she could be was who she was and I noticed she did no time in the the legal and financial consequences of that ministry.

My favorite memories of her surround a television reality series called The Surreal Life whereby she was cohabitating with various others who were once performers including Ron Jeremy, the porn star. On one episode he showed her his crank after beckoning her to gaze down his trousers and her reaction was that of a shocked woman. She continued to be that same person I'd always encountered on television with a consistent optimism and presence which spoke volumes of that innocence which she embodied.

Later we learned that she had contracted colon cancer. It went into remission then relapse and finally became metastatic. She engaged her final television appearance looking perfectly ragged and haggard from the ravages of her disease and yet ... she did a full news spot making statements and answering questions despite that which she suffered which was obviously devastating.

So I am left feeling sorry for those harsh thoughts I had for her and in retrospect I feel she was likely not a part of the illegal activities for which she has been associated. Her ending was quite severe and she faced it with dignity and composure ... in full makeup.