Jeffrey R. Holland, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apostle who was next in line to lead the faith, died at 85, the church announced. The church said Holland died early Saturday morning in Salt Lake City from complications associated with kidney disease.
Holland was a leading figure in the LDS Church’s top governance structure. He led the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a body that helps set church policy and oversees the church’s many business interests, and he was the longest-tenured member of the Quorum after President Dallin H. Oaks. When Oaks became president in October, Holland fell into the role of the next-to-lead official under the church’s long-established succession plan.
The church said Holland was hospitalized during the Christmas holiday for ongoing health complications. It pointed to his declining health in October when Oaks did not select him as a counselor in the presidency.
After Oaks’ October succession, Henry B. Eyring—who is 92—became next in line for the presidency. Holland’s 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.
Holland’s personal and professional background included years in education administration before he joined the church’s leadership ranks. He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University from 1980 to 1989, and later worked as a commissioner for the church’s global education system. Under his leadership, BYU’s Provo campus worked to improve interfaith relations and established a satellite campus in Jerusalem, and the Anti-Defamation League later honored Holland with its “Torch of Liberty” award for fostering understanding between Christian and Jewish communities.
In remarks after Holland’s death, Oaks reflected on a friendship that spanned decades. Oaks called their relationship “long and loving,” and said that over the last three decades as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Holland “lifted the weary, encouraged the faithful and bore a powerful witness of the Savior — even through seasons of significant personal trials,” according to the church.
Holland was also widely known for his public speaking. The church noted that he combined scholarship with tenderness, and it highlighted a 2013 talk in which he addressed supporting loved ones with depression and other mental illnesses. That speech included Holland’s description of times when he felt “like a broken vessel.”
Among his more widely cited remarks, Holland delivered a 2021 address in which he urged church members to take up metaphorical “muskets” in defense of the church’s teachings on same-sex marriage. The talk, sometimes referred to as the “musket fire speech,” became required reading for BYU freshmen in 2024, raising concerns among LGBTQ+ students and advocates.
Outside government, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox—who is a Latter-day Saint—said Holland’s impact was profound. Cox said Holland’s “words had a way of penetrating my soul like no other,” adding that in “times of trial or darkness” he returned to them “over and over again” and felt “the light and peace I needed.”
Holland was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Terry Holland. The church said he is survived by their three children, 13 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.