Jeffrey R. Holland, Next to Lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dies at 85: NPR

SALT LAKE CITY — Jeffrey R. Holland, a senior leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was next in line to become president of the faith, has died. He was 85 years old.

Holland died early Saturday morning from complications related to kidney disease, the church announced on its website.

Holland, who died in Salt Lake City, headed a governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which helps set church policy while overseeing the many business interests of what is widely known as the Mormon Church.

He was the longest-serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve after President Dallin H. Oaks, making him next in line to lead the Church under a long-established succession plan. Oaks, 93, became president of the Church and its more than 17 million members worldwide in October.

Henry B. Eyring, 92, one of Oaks’ two top advisers, is now the next candidate for president.

Holland had been hospitalized over the Christmas holiday for ongoing health complications, the church said. Faith experts pointed to his declining health in October when Oaks failed to choose Holland as an advisor.

His death leaves a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve that Oaks will fill in the coming months, likely by calling a new apostle from a lower-level leadership council. The apostles are all men in accordance with the exclusively male priesthood of the Church.

Holland grew up in St. George, Utah, and worked for many years in educational administration before being called to join the ranks of Church leadership. He was the ninth president of Brigham Young University, the faith’s flagship school based in Utah, from 1980 to 1989 and commissioner of the Church’s worldwide education system.

Under his leadership, Provo University worked to improve interfaith relations and established a satellite campus in Jerusalem. The Anti-Defamation League later honored Holland with its “Torch of Freedom” award for helping to foster greater understanding between the Christian and Jewish communities.

Oaks, also a former president of BYU, reflected on his more than 50 years of friendship and service to Holland on Saturday, calling their relationship “long and loving.”

“Over the past three decades, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he has resurrected the weary, encouraged the faithful and borne a powerful testimony of the Savior, even through times of significant personal trials,” Oaks said.

Holland was known as a dynamic orator whose sermons combined erudition and tenderness. In 2013, he spoke to church members about supporting loved ones suffering from depression and other mental illnesses, openly sharing times when he felt “like a broken vessel.”

Holland is widely remembered for a 2021 speech in which he called on Church members to take up metaphorical muskets to defend the faith’s teachings against same-sex marriage. The speech, known colloquially as the “Musket Fire Speech,” became required reading for BYU freshmen in 2024, sparking concern among LGBTQ+ students and advocates.

Holland was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Terry Holland. He is survived by their three children, 13 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.