Oral Roberts - Evangelist Oral Roberts told his followers on two TV segments in early February, 1987 that unless he received $4.5 million dollars immediately for medical missionary scholarships that God was going to take his life on March 31, 1987. Some stations either refused to air or edited out his manipulative plea for help. In a parody of this outrageous request, a Texas disc jockey reported that a giant Lassie dog came to him in a dream and told him to build a huge cat and dog hospital. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on their "Weekend Update" segment said that God's lawyers had denied any such allegations concluding "If we had plans to 'smoke' the little toad, we'd have done it by now!" Weathering the public reactions to his fantastic revelation Oral Roberts said he expected to live beyond the "deadline," all the while pleading "I speak for money to be released from your purse, your billfold, your wallet. I expect a miracle." Bookies in Las Vegas wanted to bet on the event but their request was denied. The whole ordeal climaxed a few days before his expected death when a millionaire donated the remaining million plus dollars. Comedians commented that he wouldn't be safe until the check cleared.