VIRGINIA: Christian television evangelist and one-time former presidential candidate Pat Robertson has died at the age of 93.
Robertson was best known for political commentary on “The 700 Club”. Robertson took his last breath early Thursday at his home in Virginia, ABC reported.
He was born in Virginia City in 1930 to Senator A Willis Robertson, and became a determined minister as a Southern Baptist. His birth name was Marion Gordon Robertson, but his older brother Willis Robertson Jr. gave him the nickname “Pat”.
Robertson launched The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1960 and became very influential in Christian conservative circles.
Presidential candidacy
He ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1988, trying to take over President Ronald Reagan, but failed. The nomination, and finally the presidency, was won by George H W Bush.
He provided political analysis, from his Christian point of view, weekly on “The 700 Club.” He appeared on the show for sixty years, finally retiring at ninety-nine years old and giving the charge to his son, Gordon.
He was also a military veteran, fighting in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.
In addition to his television network, he established Regent University, formerly CBN University, a private Christian educational institute, in 1977 in Virginia Beach.
Robertson was happily married to his wife Dede for sixty-eight years before her death in 2022. They have 4 children.
