Eddie Long

Eddie Lee Long (May 12, 1953 – January 15, 2017)^[2] was an American pastor. He was the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, from 1987 until his death in 2017.

Eddie Long
Born	Eddie Lee Long (1953-05-12)May 12, 1953 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	January 15, 2017(2017-01-15) (aged 63) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	North Carolina Central University International College of Excellence
Occupation	Pastor
Years active	1985–2016
Employer(s)	New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (1987–2017)
Spouse(s)	Dabara S. Houston ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1985)​ [1] Vanessa Griffin ​ ​ (m. 1990; "his death" is deprecated; use "died" instead. 2017)​
Children	Edward Eric Jared Taylor
Awards	Trumpet Award

Career

When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church, there were 300 church members, which grew to 25,000. During this time, Long was found not guilty in Senate investigations concerning whether he personally profited from his church's tax-exempt status.

Also, civil lawsuits were filed against him alleging sexual abuse of multiple underage male members of his parish. Long has denied wrongdoing through his attorneys and privately settled the lawsuits out of court for undisclosed amounts.

Death

Long died from cancer-related causes on January 15, 2017, aged 63.