Did Joni Lamb die at 65? Daystar Television Network said Thursday that she did, adding that the president and co-founder had gone home to be with the Lord after her condition worsened in recent days.
The network said on May 7 that Lamb had been privately battling significant health issues before a recent back injury made the situation more serious than anyone had anticipated. For viewers and ministry partners, the immediate change is not a shutdown but a continuation: Daystar said programming will proceed as scheduled while on-air tributes follow in the coming days.
Daystar’s May 7 statement
Daystar said Lamb’s condition worsened over the last few days despite the efforts of her medical team and prayers from around the world. The statement also said, “We know that she is in the presence of Jesus, reunited with Marcus, and receiving her reward for a beautiful life lived in surrender to the Lord.”
The board added, “Joni’s love for the Lord and for the people we serve shaped this ministry from the beginning. We grieve her loss, and we are grateful for the legacy of faith she leaves behind.” Those lines do more than announce a death; they show the network is managing both grief and continuity at the same time.
1993 and the Daystar growth
In 1993, Lamb founded Daystar with her late husband, Marcus Lamb. What began as a local Christian television station grew into one of the largest Christian television networks in the world, and her death closes a nearly four-decade chapter in the organization she helped build.
Daystar said Lamb had worked with leadership to establish an executive team so the ministry would continue uninterrupted, and it spelled out the operating plan plainly: “Daystar’s mission does not change today.” The family asked for prayers and privacy, while memorial service information was expected later.
Tributes and continuity
That mix of tributes and business-as-usual programming is the real story for the network now. The on-air memorials will mark her absence, but the executive team means the channel is not waiting for a succession scramble before keeping its schedule intact.
