Billy Graham 1918-2018

Billy Graham, the Southern Baptist preacher who became known as "America's Pastor", died earlier today at the age of 99, at his home in Montreat, North Carolina.  He had suffered from a number of ailments, such as Parkinson's disease, prostate cancer, hydrocephalus and pulmonary problems.

William Franklin Graham Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 7, 1918 to William Franklin Graham Sr. and the former Morrow Coffey.  After graduating high school in 1936, Graham attended Bob Jones College for one semester, before transferring to Florida Bible Institute and later to Wheaton College in Illinois, where he earned a degree in anthropology.  He was ordained in 1939 in Palatka, Florida by a group of Southern Baptist clergymen.  He married Ruth Bell, whom he had met at Wheaton.

Graham was known for his public rallies, which he called Crusades.  He was acquainted with every U.S. president from Harry Truman to Barrack Obama.  He was involved with the civil rights movement, desegregating his Crusades starting in 1953, and inviting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to join him during a 16-week revival in New York City.  Graham also founded an evangelistic association, co-founded the Lausanne Movement, organized training conferences for evangelists around the world, wrote an advice column which appeared in newspapers, wrote about 30 books, and received too many honors to list here.  For more information, read the link above.

Graham was predeceased by his wife in 2007, and is survived by their five children, 19 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.  Ruth Graham is buried at the Billy Graham Library, where he will likewise be interred.

Read more at CNN, NBC News, ABC News, CBN News and CBS News.