Person: Rev. James Robison
Date of Death: May 17, 2026
Age: 82
Nationality: American
Occupation: Televangelist, Author, Humanitarian, Broadcaster
Spouse: Betty Robison (née Freeman)
Children: 3 (two biological daughters, one adopted son)
Grandchildren: 11
Organization:LIFE Outreach International
TV Program: LIFE Today (aired on TBN — Trinity Broadcasting Network)
Website Founded: The Stream (2015)
Birth Date: October 9, 1943
Birthplace: Pasadena, Texas, USA
Ministry Founded: 1965 (full-time TV ministry from 1968)
Cause of Death: Not officially disclosed
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Rev. James Robison Dies at 82: A Giant of Faith, Television, and Humanitarian Service Goes Home
The global Christian community is in mourning today.
Rev. James Robison the fiery preacher from Texas who rose from poverty and hardship to become one of the most recognized voices in evangelical Christianity, reaching an estimated one billion homes through his television ministry has passed away at the age of 82.
LIFE Outreach International, the organization he founded, confirmed his death on Sunday, May 17, 2026, in an official statement shared across social media. The cause of death has not been officially disclosed at this time.
“Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant”
In a heartfelt tribute released by the LIFE Outreach International Board of Directors and Ministry Family, the organization wrote:
“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Rev. James Robison, the beloved founder of Life Outreach International. James devoted his life to sharing the Gospel and bringing hope, help, and healing to those in need around the world.”
The statement called on supporters and partners around the world to pray for his wife of over six decades, Betty Robison, as well as the wider Robison family and their global ministry team.
They closed with the words of Matthew 25:21 , a verse that speaks powerfully to the life James lived:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
A Life Born in Hardship, Redeemed by Faith
James Robison’s story is one of the most extraordinary in American ministry history.
Born on October 9, 1943, in Pasadena, Texas, Robison came into the world under difficult circumstances. He was the product of a traumatic experience his mother, a nurse named Myra Wattinger, placed an advertisement in a newspaper for a couple willing to care for her newborn son. A local pastor, H.D. Hale, and his wife answered the call and raised young James for his first five years of life.
His early years were marked by instability. When his mother reclaimed him, she had married the man responsible for his birth an abusive alcoholic with whom James had a deeply strained and at times violent relationship. By the time he was 15, his biological father had been arrested following a violent confrontation, and James returned to the Hale family.
It was in that household rooted in faith that Robison’s calling was born.
He never hid this painful past. In fact, he openly shared it throughout his decades of ministry, using his story of brokenness and redemption as a testament to the power of God’s grace. That vulnerability is exactly what drew millions of viewers to his program, and what made him unlike so many others on the Christian television landscape.
From Texas Pulpit to 1 Billion Homes
James met his wife, Betty Freeman, as a student at Pasadena High School. The two married on February 23, 1963, when both were just 19 years old. Together, they launched their ministry in 1965 and moved into full-time television ministry in 1968, with a crucial push from the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham.
Their nationally syndicated program, LIFE Today also known as Life Today with James Robison became one of the most widely recognized Christian talk shows in the world, airing on networks including the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Daystar.
By the time of his death, LIFE Today had grown to reach an estimated 1 billion homes globally.
LIFE Outreach International: More Than a Ministry
While his television presence made him famous, it was the humanitarian arm of his work that defined his deepest legacy.
In the 1960s, Robison began preaching crusades that drew massive crowds. His no-compromise style earned him both admirers and opponents. In 1979, he lost his television slot on Dallas station WFAA-TV after controversial remarks but rather than retreat, he rebuilt, and in doing so, evolved.
By the 1980s, Robison had shifted his focus toward something even larger than televised preaching: global humanitarian service. He eventually brought together all his charitable efforts under one banner , LIFE Outreach International , the organization that would become his most enduring legacy.
Under his leadership, LIFE Outreach International:
– Fed millions of people through targeted feeding programs in the world’s poorest regions
– Drilled clean water wells in underserved communities across Africa and beyond
– Deployed disaster relief teams to vulnerable populations following crises worldwide
– Shared the Gospel through media, outreach, and on-the-ground ministry in some of the most remote parts of the earth
In 2015, Robison also founded The Stream, a Christian news and commentary website, further expanding his platform for faith-based engagement with current events.
A Family Forged in Faith and Loss
James and Betty Robison had three children , two biological daughters and one adopted son. They were also grandparents to 11 grandchildren.
Family was central to both their private lives and their public ministry. The couple often appeared together on LIFE Today, modeling what they described as a faith-centered marriage and family.
Their family life was not without grief. In late 2012, the Robisons lost their daughter Robin to throat cancer a loss that deeply affected the entire family and which James and Betty openly discussed in their ministry, speaking candidly about grief, faith, and healing.
They resided in Fort Worth, Texas, where LIFE Today and LIFE Outreach International are headquartered.
A Legacy That Will Continue
In their official statement, the LIFE Outreach International Board pledged that the mission James gave his life to will not stop.
“Though we grieve this tremendous loss, we also celebrate a life faithfully lived in service to God and others. In the months and years ahead, we will faithfully carry on the mission James cared about so deeply bringing food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and mostly, the hope of Christ to a hurting world.”
The organization also noted that further details would be shared in the coming days.
Tributes Pour In
As news of his passing spread, tributes flooded social media from Christians around the world.
Chad Prather, host of The Chad Prather Show and a personal friend, wrote:
*”I was absolutely heartbroken this morning to hear of the passing of my dear friend, evangelist James Robison. What an impact he made for the Kingdom in millions of lives. We celebrate his home-going today with tears of both sorrow and joy. He made an impact on my life that goes beyond words. Well done, servant of the Most High King!”
Others took to social media to share memories of how his ministry had impacted their lives from building water wells to carrying them through seasons of personal struggle. The outpouring was a testament to the breadth of one man’s reach across one extraordinary lifetime of service.
A Final Word
Rev. James Robison lived the kind of life that most people only dream of not because it was easy, but because it was purposeful. Born into hardship, he became a beacon. Raised in instability, he built an institution. Called to preach, he chose to serve.
The world is a different place without him in it. But the wells he drilled still flow. The people he fed have been nourished. The Gospel he preached still echoes across a billion homes.
Well done, good and faithful servant.
We ask our readers to join us in prayer for Betty Robison, the Robison family, and the entire LIFE Outreach International ministry team as they navigate this season of grief and transition.
Sources: LIFE Outreach International (official statement), CBN News, Charisma Magazine, Wikipedia, IBTimes UK
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