Russell Marion Nelson, the oldest president in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died peacefully at his home in Salt Lake City shortly after 10 p.m. on 28 September 2025, the Church confirmed. He was 101, and funeral details will be released in the coming days.
Nelson is survived by his wife, Wendy Nelson, eight of their ten children, 57 grandchildren, and more than 167 great-grandchildren. “His time as prophet will forever be remembered as one of global ministry, increased temple construction, and change,” said the Church, according to a report by Time Magazine.
Born in 1924 in Salt Lake City, Nelson was baptized at age 16 and earned a medical degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine at 22. A pioneer in thoracic surgery, he helped develop an artificial heart-lung machine, performed Utah’s first open-heart surgery in 1955, served a two-year Army medical tour during the Korean War, and later taught at the University of Utah. He also led the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Utah State Medical Association before ending his surgical career in 1984 when he was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church’s second-highest governing body.
After 34 years as an apostle, Nelson became the 17th president of the Church in January 2018 at age 93 after the death of Thomas S. Monson. During seven years in that role, he announced sites for 200 temples worldwide—more than doubling the number then built or in planning—and presided over projects that generated zoning debates in several U.S. states. Temples, distinct from meetinghouses, house the faith’s most sacred rituals.
Nelson instructed members to use the Church’s full name and removed “Mormon” from official branding, including renaming the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. “The Lord has caused me to see how important the name is that He has revealed for His Church,” he said, according to a report by NOS, later telling members that the nickname offended Jesus.
Policy toward LGBTQ members shifted more than once under his leadership. Before becoming president, Nelson supported a 2015 policy labeling same-sex married couples apostates and barring their children from baptism. In 2019 he repealed those rules while reaffirming that Church marriage remains between a man and a woman. His administration later limited gender-affirming medical procedures for members and barred transgender members from certain responsibilities with children.
He guided the 17-million-member Church through the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraged masks and vaccinations, and delivered parts of General Conference remotely. He shortened weekly Sunday services from three to two hours, allowed missionaries weekly video calls with families, modified temple ceremonies to expand women’s participation, introduced a global youth program to replace scouting, formed a partnership with the NAACP, and in 2019 met Pope Francis at the Vatican.
For his 101st birthday, Nelson published an essay reflecting on his life. “After more than a century of life and decades of studying both the human body and the human soul, I have found this to be true: we are happiest when we remember our divine worth and extend that recognition to others—beginning with our own families,” he wrote, according to Time Magazine. He added that Jesus Christ taught the laws of happiness to love God and neighbor and called those teachings practical wisdom.
Tributes followed quickly. “Sharon and I extend our gratitude and heartfelt condolences to President Nelson’s family, and to the millions of Latter-day Saints throughout the world who mourn his passing,” said Utah Senator Mike Lee, according to Fox News. “Few lives have been lived as fully and faithfully as that of President Russell M. Nelson,” said Representative John Curtis. Romney wrote that Nelson’s legacy would be measured by “scores of new temples” and by “his kindness.” Mason called him “a remarkable man who inspired me and millions of others to lives of deeper Christian discipleship and service.” Beck said he was “so deeply saddened and yet, once again, so very happy for him.”
Attention now turns to succession. After Nelson’s burial, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will meet, and by long-standing practice the most senior apostle becomes president. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, 93, who served as first counselor in the First Presidency, is next in line. “He is just the gentlest and sweetest person you could ever hope to associate with. And he will always be remembered that way,” Oaks said, according to Axios. He also stated that those who worked with Nelson marveled at his extraordinary modesty.
Founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr. in New York and headquartered in Salt Lake City since 1847, the Church now counts more than 17 million adherents worldwide. As members await word on funeral services and a new prophet-president, many recall Nelson’s final counsel at the April General Conference, pre-recorded while he recovered from injury, urging them to stay on what he called “the covenant path.”
Produced with the assistance of a news-analysis system.