Eddie Long the megachurch pastor whose reputation was corrupted after being involved in a sexual misconduct, has died. He was 63. He died Sunday after battling cancer.
According to a statement by the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, his death came after battling a with an aggressive form of cancer. He has been the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist since 1987. The church grew from 300 members to 25,000 members and became one of the nation's largest congregations.
The church built satellite churches, several cities, including Denver, Miami, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Eddie Long was a Christian author, a gospel singer and was also known for preaching and practicing the prosperity gospel where believers are promised with wealth. He is also known for his extravagant lifestyle.
He flew around the world with his own private jet. And drove around Atlanta with his $350,000 dollars Bentley. And living in a house worth $1.4 million with six bedrooms and nine bathrooms. In 2006, the church hosted then-President George W. Bush and former presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush during the funeral of Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
According to the Yahoo, Eddie Long's lifestyle was a focal point in the lawsuit, he offered trips, clothes and cars in exchange for the four men to perform sexual relationships. The two men accused him of grooming them for sexual relationships through the church's LongFellows Youth Academy. One of the other two men was an attendee at a satellite church in Charlotte. They made similar allegations in the legal cases.
After eight month Eddie Long settled the cases out of court for an undisclosed amount and never admitted any misconduct done. After that, some of the charismatic leader's members changed their opinion about him while the other members continue to rally around for him. According to the Fox News, Eddie Long is survived by his wife, Vanessa Long, four children and three grandchildren.
