Thomas S. Monson, the 16th president of the LDS Church, has died after nine years in office. He was 90.
Church spokesman Eric Hawkins says Monson died Tuesday night at his home in Salt Lake City.
The leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints spent more than five decades serving in top church leadership councils, making him a well-known face and personality to multiple generations of Mormons.
Monson's presidency was marked by his noticeably low profile during a time of intense publicity for the church, including the 2008 and 2012 campaigns of Mormon Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, and the faith's involvement in the passage of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in California.
Romney is responding to Monson's passing stating in a Tweet that the church leader, who is considered by members to be a prophet "walked where Jesus walked". Romney is a member of the LDS faith and is considering a run for the U.S. Senate to replace Orrin Hatch, who announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of his term.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert sent out a Tweet Wednesday morning stating that he and his wife Jeanette are joining millions of people around the world in mourning. Herbert says Monson's life was "a sermon of service", adding that "he cared about all people as children of God". Herbert writes that Monson's "influence for good will be felt for years to come".
The next church president has not been officially named, but is expected that Russell M. Nelson will be named to lead the faith. He is the next longest-tenured member of the church's governing Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
