A Kentucky pastor who starred in a reality show about snake-handling in church has died -- of a snakebite . Jamie Coots died Saturday evening after refusing to be treated , Middlesboro police said . On `` Snake Salvation , '' the ardent Pentecostal believer said that he believed that a passage in the Bible suggests poisonous snakebites will not harm believers as long as they are anointed by God . The practice is illegal in most states , but still goes on , primarily in the rural South . Coots was a third-generation `` serpent handler '' and aspired to one day pass the practice and his church , Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name , on to his adult son , Little Cody . The National Geographic show featured Coots and cast handling all kinds of poisonous snakes -- copperheads , rattlers , cottonmouths . The channel 's website shows a picture of Coots , goateed , wearing a fedora . `` Even after losing half of his finger to a snake bite and seeing others die from bites during services , '' Coots `` still believes he must take up serpents and follow the Holiness faith , '' the website says . A faithful death : Why a snake handler refused treatment . On Sunday , National Geographic Channels spokeswoman Stephanie Montgomery sent CNN this statement : `` In following Pastor Coots for our series Snake Salvation , we were constantly struck by his devout religious convictions despite the health and legal peril he often faced . `` Those risks were always worth it to him and his congregants as a means to demonstrate their unwavering faith . We were honored to be allowed such unique access to Pastor Jamie and his congregation during the course of our show , and give context to his method of worship . Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time . '' In February 2013 , Coots was given one year of probation for crossing into Tennessee with venomous snakes . He was previously arrested in 2008 for keeping 74 snakes in his home , according to National Geographic . Tennessee banned snake handling in 1947 after five people were bitten in churches over two years ' time , the channel says on the show site . On one episode , Coots , who collected snakes , is shown trying to wrest a Western diamondback out of its nook under a rock deep in East Texas . He 's wearing a cowboy hat and a T-shirt that says `` The answer to Y2K - JESUS . '' The pastor is helped by his son and a couple of church members . `` He 'll give up , just sooner or later , '' one of the members says . `` Just be careful . Ease him out . '' The group bags two snakes , which a disappointed Coots says hardly justifies the trip to Texas . `` Catching two snakes the first day , 'course we 'd hoped for more , '' Coots says in the video . `` We knew that the next day we was gon na have to try to hunt harder and hope for more snakes . '' Death of snake handling preacher shines light on lethal Appalachian tradition . Pastor dances with venomous snakes . People we lost in 2014 .
Star of `` Snake Salvation '' has died of venomous snakebite . Pentecostal Pastor Jamie Coots believes that God protects against venomous snakebites . Coots refused treatment for the bite , authorities said .