Chicago – December 28, 2025
Jeffrey R. Holland, a prominent leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the next in line to become its president, has passed away at the age of 85. The church announced that Holland died early Saturday morning in Salt Lake City due to complications related to kidney disease.
Holland served as the head of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the church’s highest governing bodies responsible for guiding church policy and overseeing many of the institution’s global operations and business interests. Widely recognized for his long tenure and influential leadership, he was second only to President Dallin H. Oaks in the ecclesiastical line of succession.
Under the church’s established leadership structure, Oaks now 93 assumed the presidency in October, representing more than 17 million members worldwide. With Holland’s passing, Henry B. Eyring, aged 92 and serving as one of Oaks’ senior counselors, becomes next in line for the presidency.
The church noted that Holland had been hospitalized over the Christmas holiday as he faced ongoing health challenges. Observers of the faith had previously pointed to his declining health earlier in the year, particularly when he was not selected by Oaks to serve as a counselor following the presidential transition.
Holland’s decades of service and spiritual leadership leave a lasting impact on the global Latter-day Saint community.
