Russell Marion Nelson, a pioneering heart surgeon who became the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has gone home to be with the Lord after a long, accomplished life.

Nelson died on September 27, 2025, at his home in Salt Lake City. He was 101, the oldest president in the Church’s history.

During nearly seven years as president and prophet, President Nelson emphasized temple worship, personal revelation, and the sacredness of the Church’s full name. His ministry reshaped programs and priorities across a global faith community of millions.

From Operating Room to Apostleship

Before full-time Church service, Nelson was a world‑respected heart surgeon and medical innovator. He helped develop the heart‑lung machine used in open‑heart procedures and performed Utah’s first open‑heart surgery in 1955—part of a surgical career that included some 7,000 operations.

He was called as an Apostle on April 7, 1984. After decades in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he became the Church’s 17th president on January 14, 2018.

A Ministry of Change and Global Reach

President Nelson’s tenure was marked by significant adjustments to better center worship on Jesus Christ. Under his leadership, the Church adopted a home‑centered, Church‑supported approach to gospel study and encouraged members to use the Church’s full name.

His global outreach was equally notable. In his first years as president, he visited dozens of countries and territories, meeting Saints worldwide and pointing them to the temple. Across his ministry, he announced an unprecedented number of new temples—200—underscoring his conviction that the Lord is making His houses “more accessible” to people everywhere.

A Pastor with a Steady Witness

Those who served closest to him often described President Nelson’s blend of decisiveness and gentleness. He consistently taught that lasting joy flows from following Jesus Christ and keeping covenants, a message he repeated to members and friends of the faith on every continent.

Even as the Church navigated a fast‑changing world and a global pandemic, he urged gratitude, faith, and trust in the Savior’s power to steady hearts and homes.

Husband, Father, Grandfather

Born September 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City, Nelson married Dantzel White in 1945; they are the parents of ten children. After Dantzel’s passing in 2005, he married Wendy L. Watson in 2006.

He is survived by his wife, eight children, 57 grandchildren, and more than 167 great‑grandchildren.

How He Will Be Remembered

President Russell M. Nelson will be remembered for a rare combination of gifts: the precision of a physician, the heart of a pastor, and the steady witness of a prophet who pointed millions to the Savior he loved and followed.

In every setting—cathedrals of healing and houses of the Lord—his life’s message remained the same: come unto Christ and find enduring joy.

“Our message to the world is simple and sincere: We invite all of God’s children…to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy and qualify for eternal life.”