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President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Dies at 101

Under established succession, the longest-tenured apostle is expected to be selected after his funeral.

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FILE - Church President Russell M. Nelson looks on during The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' conference on April 6, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
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Thousands of Latter-day Saints in Bolivia listen as the Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, speaks in Spanish during a Sunday devotional, Oct. 21, 2018, in the Polideportivo Heroes de Octobre in El Alto, Bolivia.

Overview

  • Church officials said he died peacefully at his Salt Lake City home shortly after 10 p.m. MDT on Sept. 27.
  • The church said the formal selection and announcement of a new president will occur after the funeral, with senior apostle Dallin H. Oaks expected to succeed him though no decision is yet official.
  • Nelson led the global faith since January 2018, accelerating temple construction, shortening Sunday services, and urging use of the church’s full name over the nicknames Mormon and LDS.
  • His tenure included reversing a 2015 policy affecting children of gay parents while maintaining doctrine on same-sex marriage, and the church faced scrutiny over how abuse reports were handled.
  • Before decades in top church leadership, he was a renowned heart surgeon who helped pioneer the heart-lung machine and performed Utah’s first open-heart surgery in 1955.