Joel Osteen posted about her passing on social media Wednesday.
HOUSTON — Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen’s mother has died, he announced on social media Wednesday. Dolores Osteen was 91 years old.
Below is a message that Osteen posted on Facebook, Instagram and X.
“It is with a heavy heart that Victoria and I, along with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother and grandmother, Dolores “Dodie” Osteen. She was the beloved matriarch of Lakewood Church, an inspiration to millions of people around the world, and a faithful servant of God. Known as ‘Mama Dodie’ to the entire Lakewood family, together, we celebrate her amazing life and lasting legacy. She passed of natural causes, peacefully at her home. She was 91 years old.”
Dodie Osteen and her husband, the late Pastor John Osteen, started Lakewood Church in 1959 and led it for four decades before Joel Osteen became senior pastor. John Osteen died in 1999 at age 77.
The first meeting of Lakewood Church was held on the outskirts of Houston on Mother’s Day 1959. Today, Lakewood Church sits at the former site of the Houston Summit and Compaq Center on the Southwest Freeway. The services are broadcast worldwide.
Dodie Osteen authored several books, including “Healed of Cancer” in 1986, which told the story of her battle with metastatic liver cancer. At this point, funeral plans haven’t been announced.