The co-founder of Daystar Television Network has died. Joni Lamb was 65 years old.
Lamb still served as the network president despite having serious health issues and a back injury that made her health deteriorate further, the network said, according to The Associated Press.
“The back injury compounded those challenges and led to a more serious medical situation than anyone anticipated. Despite the dedicated efforts of her medical team and the prayers of so many around the world, her condition worsened in the last few days,” Daystar TV ministry said in a statement.
Her cause of death has not been shared.
The network’s board of directors said, “Joni’s love for the Lord and for the people we serve shaped this ministry from the beginning.”
The network will continue, as she had a leadership team in place before her death.
Lamb, along with her husband, started their Christian broadcasting empire with a single television station in Dallas, Texas, in 1993.
Within five years, she was the host of a daily show focusing on women and faith.
“Joni’s Table Talk” was syndicated on A+E TV, ABC, CBS, NBC and other channels, NBC News reported.
Daystar Television Network eventually grew to broadcast in more than 200 countries and has aired programming from Joel Osteen and T.D. Lakes, reaching 2.3 billion homes globally, the AP reported.
The business did have challenges, including when her husband, Marcus Lamb, admitted in 2010 to having an affair with a woman in the past. He also said that three people tried to extort him to keep the secret.
But Joni Lamb said that she was devastated to learn about her husband’s cheating and prayed to God, who told her, “He’s worth fighting for,” the AP reported.
Marcus Lamb died in 2021 at the age of 64. She remarried two years later to Doug Weiss, and the pair co-hosted “Ministry Now” together.
Joni Lamb leaves behind her husband and her three children and their families, according to The Christian Broadcasting Network.