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'Rapture' Prophet Harold Camping Dies

<p>Harold Camping speaks during a taping of his show <em>Open Forum</em> in Oakland, Calif., on May 23, 2011.</p>
Marcio Jose Sanchez
/
AP

Harold Camping speaks during a taping of his show Open Forum in Oakland, Calif., on May 23, 2011.

Harold Camping, the radio preacher who generated headlines around the world in 2011 with his ultimately wrong predictions that the world was about to end, has died.

According to The Associated Press, Family Radio Network marketing manager Nina Romero says Camping died Sunday at his home in Alameda, Calif. He was 92.

A quick run through some of our headlines (with links) from 2011 may help refresh your memory about Camping's brush with fame:

-- Jan. 3, 2011. For Some Believers, May 21 Is Judgment Day

-- May 20, 2011. Update: The Rapture Supposedly Starts Tonight

-- May 21, 2011. Judgment Day? Not According To The Evidence

-- May 23, 2011. 'Rapture' Prophet Harold Camping Says He Had 'A Really Tough Weekend'

-- May 24, 2011. 'Rapture' Prophet Camping: Did I Say May 21? I Should Have Said Oct. 21

-- Oct. 15, 2011. 'Rapture' Prophet Camping: World Will 'Probably' End Quietly Next Friday

-- March 9, 2012. Doomsday Prophet Camping Says Predictions Were 'Incorrect And Sinful'

As Religion News Service says, Camping's warnings were convincing to "thousand of followers." A few sold their possessions. Others fell victim to entrepreneurs selling such services as after-rapture pet care.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
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