Jeffrey R. Holland, next in line to lead Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 85
Jeffrey R.Holland, a senior leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the second-longest serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles, has died at 85 in Salt Lake City from complications of kidney disease. As the next in line to become church president under the church’s seniority-based succession plan, his death makes 92-year-old Henry B.Eyring the new heir apparent and leaves a vacancy in the Quorum that church leaders will fill. Holland had been hospitalized over the Christmas holiday and had shown signs of declining health in recent months, including using a wheelchair. He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University from 1980 to 1989 and later oversaw the church’s global education system, earning recognition for interfaith work such as efforts that led to an Anti-Defamation League honor. Holland was also known for a controversial 2021 speech urging members to defend church teachings-dubbed the “musket fire” speech-which became required reading for BYU freshmen in 2024 and drew criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Terry Holland, and is survived by three children, 13 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Jeffrey R. Holland, next in line to lead Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 85
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jeffrey R. Holland, a high-ranking official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was next in line to become the faith’s president, has died. He was 85.
Holland died early Saturday morning from complications associated with kidney disease, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on its website.
Holland, who died in Salt Lake City, led a governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which helps set church policy while overseeing the many business interests of what is known widely as the Mormon church.
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He was the next longest-tenured 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.
Henry B. Eyring, who is 92 and one of Oaks’ two top counselors, is now next in line for the presidency.
Holland had been hospitalized during the Christmas holiday for treatment related to ongoing health complications, the church said. Experts on the faith pointed to his declining health in October when Oaks did not select Holland as a counselor. He attended several church events that month in a wheelchair.
His death leaves a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve that Oaks will fill in coming months, likely by calling a new apostle from a lower-tier leadership council. Apostles are all men in accordance with the church’s all-male priesthood.
Holland grew up in St. George, Utah, and worked for many years in education administration before his call to join the ranks of church leadership. He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University, the Utah-based faith’s flagship school, from 1980 to 1989 and was a commissioner of the church’s global education system.
Under his leadership, the 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 Liberty Award for helping foster greater understanding between Christian and Jewish communities.
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Holland is widely remembered for a 2021 speech in which he called on church members to take up metaphorical muskets in defense of the faith’s teachings against same-sex marriage. The talk, known colloquially as “the musket fire speech,” became required reading for BYU freshmen in 2024, raising 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.
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