Billy Graham, influential US evangelist dies aged 99

US evangelist Reverend Billy Graham has died at his home in North Carolina at the age of 99, a spokesman has said.

Mr Graham counselled presidents and preached to millions around the world from his native North Carolina during 70 years in the pulpit.

He died at around 8 am EST (1 pm GMT) at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, according to Jeremy Blume a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

He had been suffering from cancer and pneumonia, spokesman Mark DeMoss said.

According to his ministry, Mr Graham preached to more people than anyone else in history either in person or through TV shows and satellite links.

He was dubbed “America’s pastor” and was a confidant of former presidents from General Dwight Eisenhower to George W Bush.

In 1983, President Reagan gave Mr Graham the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.

He pioneered the use of prime-time telecasts, network radio, newspaper columns, evangelistic feature films and satellite TV links with his catch phrase “the Bible says”.

Born on 7 November, 1918, on his family’s dairy farm near Charlotte, Mr Graham came from a fundamentalist background.

Source: Nigerian Tribune