After a remarkable life of service, leadership, innovation, and love, President Russell M. Nelson — prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a world-renowned heart surgeon — passed away on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Salt Lake City. He was 101.
In his final years, he often emphasized life’s most important choice: “To whom or to what will I give my life? My decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision I have ever made,” he said during the October 2024 general conference, shortly after his 100th birthday.
President Nelson’s beloved wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, was at his side when he passed. In his final days, he was visited by his counselors in the First Presidency — President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring — as well as his living children and their spouses.
Born Sept. 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City to Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson, he was the second of four children. He married Dantzel White in the Salt Lake Temple in 1945, raising nine daughters and one son together until her passing in 2005. In 2006, he married Wendy L. Watson, who faithfully stood by him in his ministry.
A pioneering heart surgeon, President Nelson graduated first in his University of Utah medical school class in 1947, worked on the development of the heart-lung machine, and performed more than 7,000 operations — including Utah’s first open-heart surgery in 1955.
At the height of his medical career, he was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 7, 1984. Reflecting on that call, he said: “When the Lord speaks through His prophet, my mind puts an exclamation point behind it, not a question mark.”
After 34 years of apostolic service, he was set apart as the 17th President of the Church on Jan. 14, 2018. Over nearly eight years as prophet, he taught a clear, consistent message: “Our message to the world is simple and sincere: We invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.”
In October 2024, addressing millions of members, he urged them to offer their own souls to Christ: “This is the secret to a life of joy!”
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints smiles after leaving the Government Palace after speaking with the president of Peru in Lima, Peru on Oct. 20, 2018. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Nelson as a Leader
President Russell M. Nelson assumed leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after a lifetime of preparation and service. Gifted with perfect pitch, he often played the organ in quorum meetings, and his ability to speak to members in their own languages reflected his deep respect for cultures worldwide. Known as one of the finest writers among senior Church leaders, his clarity and sincerity left lasting impressions.
Reflecting on their decades of service together, his counselor President Dallin H. Oaks shared:
“In the many years I have known him, President Nelson has consistently taught me how to selflessly and lovingly serve others through his example.”
Remarkably, both President Nelson and President Oaks were sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the same day — entering the apostleship without prior service as general authorities. At the time, President Oaks was serving as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, while President Nelson was at the height of his distinguished medical career.
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