Billy Graham loved God, lemon cake and Vienna sausages

Billy Graham, the world-renowned evangelical preacher who died Wednesday, grew to love a few cherished foods over his 99 years.

On his birthday, including his last one in November, his family brought him his favorite: Lemon cake with lard icing.

"He loves those cakes — but it has to have the lard icing," said his son Franklin Graham, leader of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

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There was also his favorite meal of canned Vienna sausages and pork and beans, also out of the can. Franklin Graham told WNCN in 2016 his father ate both "cold out of the can," a legacy of his time as a farm boy, when he ate the canned delights for lunch.  

The elder Graham had told a crowd in 2013 he might live to 100. His family reported 'stable' health in November around his 99th birthday. 

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"As a family, we are just so very grateful that he is still with us," Franklin Graham said in November. "His mind is good but he’s quieter these days. He can’t see or hear well, but his health is stable."

The younger Graham went vegan at the start of 2017, before giving it up in the most spectacular fashion.