RUSSELL M. NELSON, OLDEST PRESIDENT IN LDS CHURCH HISTORY, DIES. (PHOTO).

 Russell M. Nelson, oldest president in LDS Church history, dies

Russell M. Nelson, the oldest president in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Saturday night at the age of 101 at his home in Salt Lake City, church officials announced.

A former heart surgeon, Nelson spent more than four decades in the church’s upper leadership after being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984. He became president of the church in January 2018 following the death of Thomas S. Monson and, in 2024, became the first president of the faith to reach 100 years of age. While the next president has not yet been officially named, Dallin H. Oaks, the next longest-serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is expected to succeed him. Utah Senator Mike Lee paid tribute to Nelson, praising his faith, humility, and devotion as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Nelson’s presidency was marked by significant changes and initiatives. In 2018, he asked members to use the full name of the church instead of the shorthand “Mormon” or “LDS,” a shift from decades of previous branding efforts. He also reversed the church’s 2015 policies that restricted baptisms for children of same-sex couples, while maintaining rules limiting participation for members pursuing gender-affirming medical procedures. Nelson and his top counselors described their approach to LGBTQ+ members as balancing “the love of the Lord and the law of the Lord.”

He led the church through the COVID-19 pandemic and ended its long-standing affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America, creating a youth program that could reach the church’s 17 million global members. His tenure also included scrutiny over the church’s handling of sexual abuse reports and private interviews between youth and local leaders, prompting changes to reporting and interview guidelines to better protect children.

Nelson worked to diversify church leadership, appointing non-American members to the predominantly American Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and publishing regional hymnbooks celebrating local cultures. He shortened Sunday services, accelerated temple construction worldwide, and established a formal partnership with the NAACP, addressing the church’s historical ban on Black men in the priesthood.

Born in Salt Lake City in 1924, Nelson became a doctor at 22 and served in the Army during the Korean War. He later directed the thoracic surgery residency at the University of Utah. Known for his precision as a surgeon and his emphasis on obedience to church teachings, Nelson married Dantzel White, with whom he had 10 children. Following her death in 2005, he married Wendy Watson in 2006.