I met her on five or six occasions back in the 80s when she and Jim were hiding out in Gatlinburg, after it all started unraveling for them. A very rich, ultra-religious Gatlinburg lady , Alma Reagan, invited them to stay there, and gave them a very nice house to stay in for as long as they wanted it (I later met Al Gore there).
Oddly, unexpectedIy, I found myself liking her. She was genuinely sweet and had a kind heart. Jim was a creepy phony.
One day, I was leaving the Sevier County Courthouse and there were Tammy Faye and her son, Jamie, siitting on a bench next to the Dolly Parton staute. I stopped and said hi to them, and we talked for a few minutes. She told me how much she loved Dolly, and how she'd hoped to meet her while she (Tammy Faye) was there. But, she said, she guessed that wouldn't ever happen, now that the Bakkers were so radioactive. I watched from a distance while her marriage ended, Jim went to prison, she remarried, became a gay icon, her son became a preacher and TV personality.
It was painful to watch her wasting away.
She was a good old girl, and the world will be a little duller for her leaving.
Submitted by Carole Borges on Sun, 2007/07/22 - 7:37am.
Poor Tammy Faye. It was painful to see her last visit to the Larry King Show. I have always wondered why I have felt such incredible sympathy for her, even though it was obvious that she and Jim Baker represented the greedy kind of tele-evangelicals I really can't stand. I have never felt warmth or sympathy for Jim, but the way Tammy Faye looked, the extreme garish make-up and little girl attitude, that somehow evoked sympathetic feelings in me--the same kind I've had for Michael Jackson. The two of them are freaks in my mind, but they are also victims because of their celebrity. I think both Tammy Faye and Michael Jackson have pure hearts, but their star status and all the money they had to "protect" them from realties about themselves created a kind of self-ignorance that was painful to see. People can become cartoons, sad ones even, and they can get lost. Maybe Tammy's last years were the best. She certainly had to have a lot of strength to survive her dramatic losses. She was not a saint, but she was a survivor, and an awful lot of people loved her.
Submitted by Virgil Proudfoot on Sun, 2007/07/22 - 8:15am.
I'd have to quote Christopher Hitchens on the death of Jerry Fallwell: The only sad thing about it is that there is no hell for him to burn in. Same for this evil bitch.
Submitted by Mark Shetterly on Sun, 2007/07/22 - 3:40pm.
Virgil, you sir have absolutely zero class. Tammy Faye Baker Messner was a human being (just like Falwell) whose many mistakes were magnified by her celebrity. Rejoicing in ANYONES death is an act that shows just how pathetic a person you really are.
Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Sun, 2007/07/22 - 7:38pm.
Channel surf late at night and you will see Jim Bakker still has a show on one of the non-cable religious networks and he still begs for cash. The last few years I've kind of liked Tammy. I hope her suffering is over.
Submitted by SteveMule on Sun, 2007/07/22 - 7:57pm.
Tammy always struck me as genuine if alittle (alot?) dittzy. Jim on the other hand was always a complete fake as far as I was concerned. I will grive for Tammy, however when Jim goes to "join the eroll call up yonder" I will sigh a sigh of relief.
Poor Tammy Faye. It was painful to see her last visit to the Larry King Show. I have always wondered why I have felt such incredible sympathy for her, even though it was obvious that she and Jim Baker represented the greedy kind of tele-evangelicals I really can't stand. I have never felt warmth or sympathy for Jim, but the way Tammy Faye looked, the extreme garish make-up and little girl attitude, that somehow evoked sympathetic feelings in me--the same kind I've had for Michael Jackson. The two of them are freaks in my mind, but they are also victims because of their celebrity. I think both Tammy Faye and Michael Jackson have pure hearts, but their star status and all the money they had to "protect" them from realties about themselves created a kind of self-ignorance that was painful to see. People can become cartoons, sad ones even, and they can get lost. Maybe Tammy's last years were the best. She certainly had to have a lot of strength to survive her dramatic losses. She was not a saint, but she was a survivor, and an awful lot of people loved her.
I'd have to quote Christopher Hitchens on the death of Jerry Fallwell: The only sad thing about it is that there is no hell for him to burn in. Same for this evil bitch.
Virgil, you sir have absolutely zero class. Tammy Faye Baker Messner was a human being (just like Falwell) whose many mistakes were magnified by her celebrity. Rejoicing in ANYONES death is an act that shows just how pathetic a person you really are.
Link...
Link...
Channel surf late at night and you will see Jim Bakker still has a show on one of the non-cable religious networks and he still begs for cash. The last few years I've kind of liked Tammy. I hope her suffering is over.
Tammy always struck me as genuine if alittle (alot?) dittzy. Jim on the other hand was always a complete fake as far as I was concerned. I will grive for Tammy, however when Jim goes to "join the eroll call up yonder" I will sigh a sigh of relief.
Take Care, Be Good and don't play in the street!
SteveMule
yep - I kissed her one night at the Apple Barn after too many bourbons. Luckily for me she didn't call the police!
PS: I noted Jim had a shy bladder in the men's room - then again maybe my state intimidated him at the time?
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