Russell M. Nelson, the oldest president in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died on Saturday in Salt Lake City. He was 101.
The church said in a statement that he passed away peacefully at his home shortly after 10 pm.
“His time as prophet will forever be remembered as one of global ministry… increased temple construction… and profound change,” the statement said.
Read more: Russell M. Nelson: We All Deserve Dignity and Respect
Dr. Nelson, a respected heart surgeon before joining the church full-time, was credited with implementing sweeping changes to the church during his tenure as president.
He softened some of the church’s policies on LGBT members, allowing children of LGBT parents to be baptized and rolling back a policy that labeled same-sex married couples as “apostates.” Dr. Nelson did not change the church’s longstanding opposition to gay marriage, however.
He notably insisted on church members using the proper name for the institution he led, rather than the nicknames that had accumulated over the years, such as the “LDS Church,” “Mormon Church,” and “Church of the Latter-day Saints.”
“For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as the ‘Mormon Church.’ But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself,” he said in October 2018. “I realize with profound regret that we have unwittingly acquiesced in the Lord’s restored Church being called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ!”
Dr. Nelson had a successful career in medicine before joining the church. He was a heart surgeon who performed the first open-heart surgery in Utah in 1955 and conducted more than 7,000 operations.
He was named one of the church’s top governing bodies in 1984, and became its leader and prophet in 2018, at the age of 93. After becoming president, he traveled to 32 countries and U.S. territories to visit church leaders and ministries. A polyglot, Dr. Nelson was conversant in 11 languages, according to his daughter.
Dr. Nelson reflected on his life and career in a recent essay for TIME to mark his 101st birthday.
“After more than a century of life and decades of studying both the human body and the human soul, I have found this to be true: we are happiest when we remember our divine worth and extend that recognition to others—beginning with our own families,” he wrote.
My faith teaches me that over two millennia ago, Jesus Christ preached these same laws of happiness: to love God and to love our neighbor. After 101 years, I can say that these are not abstract theological ideas—they are practical wisdom,” he added.
Dr. Nelson is survived by his wife, Wendy, eight of his 10 children, 57 grandchildren, and more than 167 great-grandchildren.
