“Today, Rex Humbard has come closer than any other human being in history . . . to preaching the Gospel in all of the world . . . more than any other evangelist, he has taken up the challenge,” touted TIME magazine in 1999.

The release went on to say, “By 1952, Humbard was broadcasting weekly to millions of faithful viewers from his 5,400-seat church, the Cathedral of Tomorrow, in Akron, Ohio. This program was carried for some three decades by 360 stations across North America and more than 2,000 stations worldwide in 91 languages.

“His simple storytelling style, combined with the best in gospel music, transcended cultures and doctrines, appealing to believers and non-believers alike. At the show’s peak, weekly Sunday audiences averaged 8 million viewers, with more than 30 million viewers tuning in for the 1976 ‘You Are Loved’ patriotic special. The Saturday Evening Post wrote, ‘Putting God on Main Street has been the goal of this dedicated preacher for more than 60 years. Now, thanks to the electronic media, his Main Street stretches from Ohio to around the world.’”

Kathy Scott revealed that one of Humbard’s loyal viewers was Elvis Presley, who regularly gathered his backup singers, the Imperials, in his hotel room on Sunday mornings to watch “his preacher.” Upon Elvis’s death, his father Vernon Presley requested Humbard to officiate the service.

Humbard’s personal appearances filled auditoriums from the Sydney Opera House and the Budokan in Tokyo to Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall in New York. In 1979, more than 1.2 million people filled soccer stadiums across Brazil to see Humbard preach the Gospel message. In one night at the world’s largest stadium in Rio de Janeiro, 180,000 packed in to worship and hear a life-changing message. He also ministered to hundreds of thousands in services across Africa.

Early on, Humbard used radio and television to get the message of God’s love to as many as possible. At age 13, he began broadcasting on KTHS radio in Hot Springs, Ark., singing gospel songs and inviting listeners to his father’s local church. In the early 1940s, Humbard began a daily radio program carried nationwide on Mutual Network and the NBC Blue Network. Regular musical guests on his program included Mahalia Jackson, Bill Gaither, Andrae Crouch, Pat and Debby Boone, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Johnny and June Cash, the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet and the Cathedrals.

Humbard was the son of a minister and a member of the Humbard Family Singers. Born on Aug. 13, 1919 in Little Rock, Ark., he grew up in Hot Springs, Ark. In April 2007, Humbard returned to Hot Springs to be inducted into the Arkansas Walk of Fame.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years Maude Aimee, his sons Rex, Jr., Don and Charles and his daughter Liz Darling; brother Clement; sisters Leona and Juanita; 3 daughters-in-law; a son-in-law, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held in Akron, Ohio. He will be laid to rest in Akron, Ohio in the Humbard Family Plot just a short distance from his mother, father and beloved sister.