Leading contender to head the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dies
“I love the Lord Jesus Christ. May we strive to see Christ at the center of our lives, of our faith, and of our service. That is where true meaning lies. Until that hour, when Christ’s consummate gift is evident to us all, may we live by faith, hold fast to hope, and show… pic.twitter.com/x7f4gBQJPS
— Jeffrey R. Holland (@HollandJeffreyR) December 27, 2025
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: Jeffrey R Holland, the senior leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the next in line to become its president, has passed away. The announcement came at a time when the church continues to play a significant role in religious, social, and political life in the United States and beyond, drawing questions about succession.
Jeffrey R Holland passes away
With heavy hearts, we announce that President Jeffrey R. Holland, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died today at approximately 3:15 a.m. MST from complications associated with kidney disease, while surrounded by… pic.twitter.com/AzJ0uWRfo5
— The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (@Ch_JesusChrist) December 27, 2025
The LDS church, also known as the Mormon church, announced that Holland died at the age of 85 on Saturday, December 27, due to complications related to kidney disease.
He was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the faith's governing body, and a long-time key figure in the church's educational network.
He made headlines in 2021 when he instructed the staff and faculty at Brigham Young University, the church's flagship institution of higher learning, to take up their metaphorical 'muskets' in defense of 'marriage as the union of a man and a woman.'
Jeffrey R Holland's path from missionary work to church leadership
I grieve the passing of President Jeffrey R. Holland. Our relationship in education and Church service began more than 50 years ago. It was a long and loving relationship in the work of the Lord.
— Dallin H. Oaks (@OaksDallinH) December 27, 2025
During my service as President of Brigham Young University, I had the privilege of… pic.twitter.com/k57zhITwT9
He was born in 1940 in St George, Utah, and grew up in a small-town idyll. “I couldn’t have gotten in trouble in that town if I’d wanted to," the church quoted him as saying. "My mother would have known before I ever got home."
As a teenager in England, he served the church as a missionary. He later earned master's and doctorate degrees in American studies at Yale University before embarking on a career with the Church Educational System.
Between 1980 and 1989, he served as president of Brigham Young, overseeing the construction of the school's Jerusalem Center on Mount Scopus. In 1994, he became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Holland was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Terry, who passed away in 2023. He was survived by the couple's three children, 13 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren, the church said.
Jeffrey R Holland's controversial stance
In 2021, Holland’s controversial speech drew protest from both within and outside the Church, but his uncompromising opposition to same-sex marriage was endorsed by the university, which recently made the speech a required reading.
Last year, he told a podcast that he was sad, if not exactly apologetic, that his words had upset some.
"Now, if anybody was hurt, and I know some were in that exchange, then I was hurt," he said. “I have wept for those three years."
