Tammy Faye

I'm not really sure why I was so moved by the death of Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, who died Friday of colon and lung cancer at age 65.

I remember in the 1980s actually laughing when I'd watch the PTL Club. But after the scandal that brought down the PTL Club, and after she divorced Jim Bakker, she seemed to find her calling, and was embraced by the gay community for standing up for gay rights and being one of the first people I can remember to actually show sympathy for those with HIV/AIDS, in a time when a certain president couldn't even bring himself to mouth the words.

Maybe she did become a parody of herself, but she was definitely happier, and comfortable with herself as time went on. It was sad to see her final interview with Larry King on CNN last week, but that was her idea. Even though cancer had ravaged her body and she was down to 65 pounds, she was still Tammy Faye.

There's a nice capsule of her life on Towleroad that I think everybody who reads this should view.

RIP Tammy Faye. You deserve it.

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press