  tamara faye lavalley bakker messner (march 7, 1942 â july 20, 2007) was an american christian singer, evangelist, entrepreneur, author, talk show host, and television personality. she was married from 1961 to 1992 to televangelist, and later convicted felon, jim bakker. she co-hosted with him on the ptl club (1976â1987). she was a participant in the 2004 season of the reality show the surreal life.the surreal life tv.com ==early life== the eldest of eight children, tammy faye was born tamara faye lavalley in international falls, minnesota, to pentecostal preachers rachel minnie (nÃ©e fairchild) and carl oliver lavalley. her parents were married in 1941, one year before tammy faye was born. shortly after she was born, a painful divorce soured her mother against other ministers,obituary: (uk) newspaper, the daily telegraph issue number 47,317 monday july 23, 2007 p23 alienating her from the church. after the divorce, tammy faye continued living in a strict atmosphere with her mother and brother. in 1948, when she was six, her mother married fred grover, who worked in paper mills. his salary increased their income, and the marriage also added six children to the household. as a child in the 1950s, she helped her mother with household chores and babysat her younger siblings; but she was often spoiled by her favorite aunt, virginia fairchild, who was a retired department store manager. she attended her aunt's church in 1952. when she was accompanied by a friend to the assemblies of god church, at age 10, she said she "felt the glow of god's love and wanted to call herself up
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