Reverend Ike Dead at 74

The Rev. Frederick Eikerenkoetter, known as Rev. Ike to a legion of followers in NYC and across the nation to whom he preached the blessings of prosperity while making millions from their donations, has died. He was 74.

A family spokesman said he died Tuesday in a Los Angeles hospital, two years after he suffered a stroke from which he never recovered.

Rev. Ike's ministry reached its peak in the mid-1970s, when his sermons were carried on 1,770 radio stations to an audience estimated at 2.5 million. He also preached his philosophy of self-empowerment on television and the Internet, in books and magazines, and on audiotapes and videotapes.