SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jeffrey R. Holland, a high-ranking official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was in line to become the faith’s president, has died. He was 85.
Holland died Saturday morning of 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 helped 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 since President Dallin H. Oaks, making him in line to lead the Church under the long-established succession plan. Oakes, 93, became president of the church and its more than 17 million-strong worldwide membership in October.
Henry B. Eyring, who is 92 and one of Oakes’ two top advisers, is now next in line for the presidency.
Holland was hospitalized over the Christmas holidays for ongoing health complications, Church said. Trust experts pointed to Holland’s declining health in October when Oakes did not select Holland as an adviser.
His death leaves a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve that Oaks will fill in the coming months, possibly by calling a new apostle from the lower leadership council. Apostles are all men according to the all-male priesthood of the Church.
Holland grew up in St. George, Utah, and worked for several years in education administration before his call to join the ranks of church leadership. He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University, a major Utah-based faith school, from 1980 to 1989 and was commissioner of the Church’s Universal Education System.
Under his leadership, the University of Provo 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 to foster greater understanding between the Christian and Jewish communities.
Oaks, also a former BYU president, reflected on his more than 50 years of friendship and service with Holland on Saturday, calling their relationship “long and loving.”
“As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles over the past three decades, he lifted up the weary, encouraged the faithful and bore a powerful witness of the Savior — even in seasons of significant personal trials,” Oaks said.
Holland was known as a dynamic speaker whose sermons combined scholarship with tenderness. In 2013 he spoke to church members about helping loved ones with depression and other mental illnesses, openly sharing about a time he felt “like a pot.”
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 teaching against same-sex marriage. Colloquially known as “The Musket Fire Speech,” the speech became required reading for BYU freshmen in 2024, raising concerns among LGBTQ+ students and advocates.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Latter-day Saint, said no church leader had a more profound influence on his faith than Holland.
“The way his words penetrated my soul was like no other,” Cox said. “In times of trial or darkness, I will return to them again and again and feel the light and peace I need.”
Holland was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Terry Holland; He is survived by three children, 13 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
___
The story was corrected to show that Holland was killed by his wife.
___
Associated Press writer Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed.
