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Schuller's grandson, Robert Vernon "Bobby" Schuller,
announced the death on social media, saying his grandfather was
diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2013.
The death marked a closing chapter for a Protestant congregation
the elder Schuller started in 1955 in a drive-in movie theater
in the Orange County suburb of Garden Grove and expanded into a
worldwide following.
His Sunday morning television broadcast was carried
internationally and aired for over four decades, featuring
celebrity guests and drawing 30 million viewers a week at its
peak.
He retired as senior pastor in 2006 and resigned from the
church's board six years later in a financial dispute with its
leaders following the $57.5 million bankruptcy sale of the
ministry's landmark Crystal Cathedral.
The towering structure, which opened in 1980 and was
distinguished for its 10,000-pane glass walls, was purchased by
the Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Orange.
At about the same time, Schuller's daughter, Sheila Schuller
Coleman, who had assumed leadership of the church after
Schuller's son was removed as senior pastor, led the
establishment of a breakaway congregation.
The original congregation moved its services to a rented space
with a new name, Shepherd's Grove, now under the direction of
Schuller's grandson.
Born and raised in a rural Dutch-American community in Iowa,
Schuller graduated from seminary school and was ordained in
Illinois before moving to California in the 1950s.
He began preaching from atop a concession stand at a drive-in
theater, advertising his services with the tagline, "Come as you
are ... in the family car."
He ultimately built his flock into one of America's first
megachurches, financing his ministry largely from donations
raised during his "Hour of Power" broadcasts.
He also published about three dozen inspirational books,
including several bestsellers, and provided spiritual guidance
to President Bill Clinton. He distinguished himself from other
televangelists of his era by emphasizing healing and hope over
prosperity.
"Schuller ... was talking about the possibilities in your life.
Period. Not attaining wealth," church spokesman Michael Nason
told the Orange County Register.
He made headlines in 1997 in a less flattering episode when he
was accused of assaulting an airline attendant during a flight.
He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, apologized and paid a
$10,000 fine.
(Additional reporting by Daniel Wallis in Denver and Suzannah
Gonzales in Chicago; editing by Will Dunham; Editing by Diane
Craft and Sandra Maler)
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