A Louisiana pastor whose church has remained open during the coronavirus pandemic urged his followers to donate their stimulus checks to evangelists like himself on the same day one of his elderly parishioners reportedly died due to the virus.

Pastor Tony Spell, who leads Life Tabernacle Church in the suburbs of Baton Rouge, has been openly defying his states ban on large public gatherings, drawing hundreds to in-person worship services while insisting that true Christians do not mind dying .

Harold Orillion, a 78-year-old member of Life Tabernacle Church, died on Wednesday from complications related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, according to several Louisiana news outlets . The local coroner listed Orillions cause of death as acute respiratory distress syndrome, 2nd pneumonia, 2nd COVID-19, according to a statement obtained by the Daily Beast.

Nevertheless, Spell is insisting that Orillions death was not related to COVID-19.

He died of a broken heart, Spell told local NBC affiliate WVLA-TV on Thursday. Harolds son died last week, he said, adding that Orillion had Parkinsons disease.

Harold did not have Coronavirus, he was never on [a] ventilator, he did not have Covid-19, the pastor said.

A lawyer hired to represent Life Tabernacle Church in its fight to ignore Louisianas stay-at-home order has also fallen ill from the virus and has been hospitalized since Tuesday, according to local newspaper The Advocate .

Its not clear where exactly these two men contracted the coronavirus.