(Portland, OR) -- Oregon evangelicals are mourning the loss of Beaverton evangelist Luis Palau. OregonLive reports his family released a statement saying he died suddenly but peacefully yesterday after a three-year battle with lung cancer. Inspired by Billy Graham, the Argentina native came to Oregon in 1960 to attend Multnomah Bible College. He went on to develop a ministry with a global reach and many thousands of followers. He was 86.