Doug Oldham, a prolific
gospel singer and ministry partner of the late Jerry Falwell, died July 21 at
the age of 79.
Oldham, who was a soloist at
Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church and helped the evangelist raise money to
start Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., died at a Virginia hospital while
awaiting back surgery.
“My father and Doug Oldham
were an evangelistic team who brought the gospel to nearly every home in
America every Sunday morning on the ‘Old Time Gospel Hour,’” said Liberty
University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. in a statement.
“The names Jerry Falwell and
Doug Oldham were synonymous as Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea. … His
passing represents the end of an era at Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty
University.”
Oldham recorded more than 60
albums and sang on Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Praise the Lord (PTL) ministry’s
television show. He was the first to perform “He Touched Me,” a song written by
colleague Bill Gaither.
“Doug’s resonant voice and
vibrant spirit moved people at a very personal level,” Gaither recalled in a
tribute on his web site, Gaither.com. “He possessed that rare balance between
polished professionalism and authenticity.”
Oldham, a Dove Award-winning
artist, was inducted in the Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of
Fame in 2006.