Marcus Lamb, founder of Bedford-based Christian network Daystar, dies after COVID battle

Marcus Lamb, founder of Bedford-based evangelical television network Daystar and an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 vaccines, has died after being hospitalized with the virus, the network announced Tuesday. He was 64.

“It’s with a heavy heart we announce that Marcus Lamb, president and founder of Daystar Television Network, went home to be with the Lord this morning,” the network said in a tweet.

Joni, Lamb’s wife, confirmed the death during a Tuesday morning broadcast on the network.

“This morning at 4 a.m., the president and founder of Daystar and the love of my life went to be with Jesus,” she said.

Lamb was born in 1957 in Cordele, Georgia, and began preaching as an evangelist in 1973 at 15, according to the Daystar website.

In 1985, Lamb founded WMCF-TV in Montgomery, the first Christian television station in Alabama.

Lamb launched the Daystar Television Network in Dallas in 1997 and moved it to Bedford 2003. The network has grown to reach over 108 million households in the U.S. and more than 2 billion people worldwide, making it one of the largest Christian networks in the world.

Lamb’s network has featured well-known vaccine-skeptics and programming, as well a group of physicians who support alternative treatments for dealing with COVID-19. Lamb was hospitalized in mid-November.

Joni, Lamb’s wife, said on the Tuesday morning broadcast that Lamb had diabetes and was hospitalized after his oxygen levels dropped. She said Lamb tried alternative treatments but was unable to recover.

Pastors and evangelists on social media paid tribute to Lamb, saying he’s celebrated for his far-reaching work.

“Millions have heard the Good news because he and Joni dedicated their lives to building a platform for the Gospel to reach the world,” evangelist pastor Greg Laurie said on Twitter.

Evangelist and missionary Franklin Graham said in a Facebook post that Lamb will be missed but is with God.

“He had preached about heaven, taught about heaven, and now he is experiencing heaven,” he said.

Lamb is survived by Joni, his son, Jonathan, and his daughters, Rachel and Rebecca.