Jeffrey R. Holland, Next in Line to Lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dies at 85

SALT LAKE CITY — Jeffrey R. Holland, a senior 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 of complications related to kidney disease, the church announced on its website.

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

He was the 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-standing succession plan. Oaks, 93, became president of the church and its global membership of more than 17 million in October.

Henry B. Eyring, 92 years old and one of Oaks’ two top advisers, is now next in line for the presidency.

Holland had been hospitalized over the Christmas holidays due 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.

His death leaves a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that Oaks will fill in the coming months, likely by appointing a new apostle from a lower leadership council. Apostles are all men, in keeping with the all-male priesthood of the Church.

Holland grew up in St. George, Utah, and worked in educational administration for many years before being called to join the ranks of Church leadership. From 1980 to 1989, he served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University, the Utah-based faith’s flagship school, and served as commissioner of the Church’s global 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 the Netherlands with the “Torch of Liberty” award for helping promote greater understanding between Christian and Jewish communities.

Oaks, also a former president of BYU, reflected on his more than fifty years of friendship and service to the Netherlands on Saturday and called their relationship “long and loving.”

“Over the past thirty years as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he has ministered to the weary, encouraged the faithful, and bore witness to a powerful testimony of the Savior—even during times of great personal trial,” says Oaks.

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

The Netherlands 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 gay marriage. The lecture, colloquially known as “the musket fire speech,” became required reading for BYU freshmen in 2024, raising concerns among LGBTQ+ students and advocates.

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