Reverend Pat Robertson (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died.
He was 93. Robertson's death Thursday was announced by his broadcasting network. No cause was given. Robertson's enterprises also included Regent University, an evangelical Christian school in Virginia Beach; the American Center for Law and Justice, which defends the First Amendment rights of religious people; and Operation Blessing, an international humanitarian organization.
But for more than a half-century, Robertson was a familiar presence in American living rooms, known for his "700 Club" television show, and in later years, his televised pronouncements of God's judgment on America for everything from homosexuality to the teaching of evolution.
The money poured in as he solicited donations, his influence soared, and when he moved directly into politics by seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 1988, he brought a huge following with him.