Paul Crouch, the founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, passed away at his Californian home on Saturday after battling degenerative heart disease for over a decade. He was 79 years old.
“He was an incredible businessman, entrepreneur, visionary; he built something that impacted the world,” his grandson, Brandon Crouch, told the Associated Press. “He was an incredible businessman, entrepreneur, visionary; he built something that impacted the world.”
“We mourn Paul’s passing and he will be greatly missed. But we know, as the old hymn reminds us, soon enough we will see him again in that great ‘meeting in the air,'” Trinity Broadcasting said in a statement on Saturday.
Crouch founded what is considered one of the largest Christian networks in the world with his wife Jan in 1973. The network would grow into an international empire, broadcasting Christian programming to every continent (except Antarctica) around the clock on its 84 satellite channels and more than 18,000 television and cable affiliates.
The Crouch family has faced enormous criticism for their extravagant lifestyle and how they spend the hundreds of millions of dollars of the network’s tax-free donations. Last year, a lawsuit was filed against the family alleging $50 million in financial improprieties. The Crouches allegedly bought a private jet, a $100,000 mobile home for Jan’s dogs and 14 mansions around the United States all with donated money. The couple were also paid exorbitant salaries and had four-figure expense-account meals.
The Crouches dismiss any wrongdoing and claim the spending was in line with its mission to spread the word of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Paul Crouch is survived by his wife, Jan, and two sons, Matthew and Paul Jr.
