Billy Graham dead: Queen Elizabeth sends condolences

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Rev. Billy Graham: Life and legacy of ‘America’s pastor’

He’s known as ‘Amercia’s pastor,’ Rev. Billy Graham passed away at age 99. He’s preached to more live audiences than anyone in history and rose to prominence as a spiritual adviser for almost every U.S. president. Here’s a look back at Graham’s life and lasting legacy.

England’s Queen Elizabeth II will be reaching out to Rev. Billy Graham’s family following his death, Fox News has learned Wednesday.

“The Queen will be sending a private message of condolence to the family of Billy Graham,” Buckingham Palace told Fox News in a written statement.

The Christian evangelist whose worldwide crusades and role as adviser to decades of U.S. presidents made him one of the best known religious figures of his time died Wednesday at age 99 at his home in Montreat, N.C., from natural causes.

Netflix’s hit series “The Crown,” which tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s journey as a monarch, briefly focused on the now-91-year-old’s interaction with Graham in the sixth episode of the second season.

In the episode, the Queen is depicted as being enthralled while watching Graham’s sermon on television with the Queen Mother.

She becomes so captivated by the charismatic preacher that she invites Graham to give a sermon in Windsor Chapel and then hosts him for lunch at the palace.

People magazine reported that in real life, the pair shared an unlikely friendship. Whenever Graham visited the U.K., the Queen would reportedly invite him to preach. And when she traveled to the United States, she would find time to visit him.

Graham was regularly listed in polls as one of the “Ten Most Admired Men in the World.”

“My one purpose in life,” he said, “is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ.”