Billy Graham dies: Condolences pour in for renowned pastor

With news that evangelist Billy Graham has died, condolences began pouring in for the man who known as America's pastor.

Posted 2:04 p.m. Feb 21, 2018 — Updated 6:07 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

RALEIGH, N.C. — With news that evangelist Billy Graham has died, condolences began pouring in for the man who was known as America's pastor.

Share your condolences: The passing of Billy Graham

President Donald Trump expressed his condolences via a tweet.: The GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him!

By early afternoon, Trump issued a longer statement, noting Graham's worldwide influence and history of ministry to the nation.

Melania and I join millions of people around the world in mourning the passing of Billy Graham. Our prayers are with his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all who worked closely with Reverend Graham in his lifelong ministry.

Billy’s acceptance of Jesus Christ around his seventeenth birthday not only changed his life—it changed our country and the world. He was one of the towering figures of the last 100 years—an American hero whose life and leadership truly earned him the title “God’s Ambassador.”

Billy’s unshakeable belief in the power of God’s word to transform hearts gave hope to all who listened to his simple message: “God loves you.” He carried this message around the world through his crusades, bringing entire generations to faith in Jesus Christ.

In the wake of the September 11th attacks in 2001, America turned to Billy Graham at the National Cathedral, who told us, “God can be trusted, even when life seems at its darkest.”

Reverend Graham would be the first to say that he did not do it alone. Before her passing, his wife Ruth was by his side through it all—a true partner, a wonderful mother, and a fellow missionary soul. He also built an international team and institution that will continue to carry on Christ’s message.

Melania and I were privileged to get to know Reverend Graham and his extraordinary family over the last several years, and we are deeply grateful for their love and support.

Billy Graham was truly one of a kind. Christians and people of all faiths and backgrounds will miss him dearly. We are thinking of him today, finally at home in Heaven.

President Barack Obama joined the chorus of voices expressing condolences for the late pastor, calling him a "humble servant."

Gov. Roy Cooper: "Billy Graham was a strong, humble, positive and passionate North Carolina man of faith who made a difference in the lives of so many. Rest with God, Reverend Graham."

The cause of Graham's death was not immediately available, but Graham's health had been in decline for several years.

Reared on a dairy farm near Charlotte, William Franklin Graham Jr. would eventually preach to more people than anyone in history, with an estimated 2 billion people attending one of his dozens of crusades through the years or tuning into his message on radio and television broadcasts.

Vice President Mike Pence also tweeted his condolences.

Billy Graham's ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ and his matchless voice changed the lives of millions. We mourn his passing.

George H.W. Bush statement on the passing of Billy Graham

Rev. William Barber, longtime leader of the North Carolina NAACP and pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, wrote his memoriam on Medium.

"Billy Graham inherited a faith in the American South that had accommodated itself to white supremacy, but he demonstrated a willingness to change and turn toward the truth. He helped to tear down walls of segregation not build them up,"

he wrote.

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