SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (News4Utah) – Utah leaders and celebrities took to social media early Wednesday morning in reaction to the death of President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 

President Donald Trump

 
Melania and I are deeply saddened by the death of Thomas S. Monson, a beloved President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  While serving for over half a century in the leadership of his church, President Monson demonstrated wisdom, inspired leadership, and great compassion.  Considered a prophet by the nearly 16 million members of the LDS Church, his message was one of optimism, forgiveness, and faith.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his three children and the rest of the Monson family.

Rep. Rob Bishop

President Monson’s service to Utah, the LDS Church, and the world is without equal. He will be greatly missed, and his influence will be felt for generations to come. I am heartened by the belief that his passing leads to a divine reunion with his wife, Frances. My thoughts today are with his family and the millions throughout the world in mourning.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski

I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of President Thomas S. Monson. Over the past few years, as Salt Lake City has dealt with critical issues, most notably homelessness, the LDS Church has responded with a high level of compassion and resolve set clearly by President Monson and his deep concern for those less fortunate.

We have lost a dedicated partner to the Capitol City and he will be missed. President Monson’s values also guided the LDS Church, and set a high moral standard, as to how we will treat immigrants and refugees both inside and outside our borders. I believe his example has helped to ensure Salt Lake City and Utah will always be seen as welcoming places.

My thoughts and prayers are with President Monson’s family, and members of the LDS Church, as they grieve the loss of their family member and leader.”

Jason Chaffetz

My heart is filled with love for Pres. Monson. He touched countless lives, including my own, in a positive and sweet manner influencing good throughout the world.

Lt. Governor Spencer Cox

Rep. John Curtis

Utah Democratic Party

Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of the late President Thomas S Monson. He will be forever remembered as a servant of the world and to the LDS Community. Our thoughts go out to the millions of Latter Day Saints, President Monson lead by example through his work with widows, the poor, and the elderly. He spoke about having compassion and unconditional love for all. To quote President Monson’s favorite hymn, “[We] bow in [our] grief today.”

Utah House Democrats

 Today Utah House Democrats express grief for the passing of LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson last night.  President Monson was celebrated and respected for his deep compassion and service for the marginalized, the bereft, and the unrecognized. He was known for saying, “‘Love thy neighbor’ is more than a divine truth. It is a pattern for perfection.”  His humility and empathetic approach for all people were values that all of us can celebrate. From an early age, Thomas Monson rose up through the Church and our community because of his fundamental intuition for compassion.  
 

“President Monson’s gift for taking keen interest in each individual, and for remembering the circumstances of their lives will be missed.  He was remarkable.  He knew details about everyone. And he cared for everyone,” said Minority Leader Brian King. “He became a bishop when he was just 22.  He was remarkably intelligent.  He used to visit people regularly at hospitals. He had an amazing memory, and a remarkable sense of empathy for all people.  He was a very loving, compassionate person.”

Rep. Sandra Hollins said, “His leadership played an important role in helping those in poverty, and his attentiveness to disaster-relief for the suffering. President Monson was extraordinarily sympathetic.  He always made sure that he attended to the needs of people.” 

Utah Senate Democrats

We were saddened to learn of the passing of LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson. He was a kind and compassionate man who led with humility. He gained great admiration for his ability to show his care for each person he encountered. His deep concern for those less fortunate, and his leadership on how to treat immigrants and refugees set an example for all. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, and to the members of the LDS Church.

Senator Orrin Hatch

 

Governor Gary Herbert

Jeanette and I join millions of people around the world in mourning the death of LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson. His life was a sermon of service. He cared for all people as children of God. The state of Utah and its citizens are better people because of his example of kindness, his personal ministry and his visionary leadership.

 While serving as the lay leader of his inner-city LDS congregation at a very young age, Thomas Monson learned to serve those who struggled with life’s challenges, especially the many widows in his neighborhood. That meaningful one-on-one service set him on his lifelong pathway of compassionate leadership that will endure in all of our hearts.

Throughout my years of public service it has been a distinct privilege to associate with President Monson and his sweet wife Frances. They became dear friends and mentors to our family. His legacy of service, compassion and unwavering love for all of God’s children will be felt for generations to come.

As we celebrate President Thomas S. Monson’s remarkable life, let us remember his focus on the one — his admonition to serve the individuals around us — recognizing that even the smallest actions can lift lives and brighten our world. Our prayers are with President Monson’s family and friends as they mourn his passing.

Speaker Greg Hughes

Sen. Mike Lee

“President Thomas S Monson was a dedicated disciple who spent almost eight decades in the service of his fellow men and his God. He was a strong advocate for Christlike love and the principle of eternal families, and his years as prophet were marked by a massive expansion of the missionary system and the temple network. He led by example, and his messages of love, redemption, and optimism will continue to inspire and shape those he leaves behind, both in and outside the church. My thoughts and the prayers of many others are with him and his family today.”

Al Gore

Rep. Mia Love

Today, I give thanks for the life and example set by President Thomas S. Monson. His tireless, charitable service, cheerful demeanor, love of others and ministry touched millions of lives. He provided inspiration for Latter-Day Saints throughout the world. God bless him and his family.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams

As a young child, I loved President Monson’s inspirational stories of service and love. As an adult, I admire and try to follow President Monson’s example of giving compassionate service and caring for others. He was never too busy to to give personal time and comfort to the people he served. He was a tremendous example for me of a leader who demonstrated Christlike love. His example of service to others inspired me to be more caring and compassionate. The influence of his life and legacy will long be felt.

Utah’s NAACP

Jeanetta Williams, President, NAACP Salt Lake Branch and President of the NAACP Tri-State Conference of Idaho-Nevada-Utah upon hearing of the passing of Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends condolences from the NAACP to the family of President Monson and Church Members. “President Monson was a very kind and caring individual and leaves a great legacy. Williams recalls that President Monson would always greet her with a warm smile and handshake whenever he saw her, calling her by name as they talked about the community and working together. He was aware of the respect of President Gordon B. Hinckley and President James E. Faust had toward me and my work as a Civil Rights Leader. He too, would always ask how I was treated by the people in Utah,” said Jeanetta Williams.

Williams said that there will be quotes remembered by President Monson but one that she will remember is, “Never let a problem to be solved, become more important than a person to be loved.” The NAACP sends our deepest condolences upon the passing of LDS President Thomas S. Monson.

Marie Osmond 

Attorney General Sean Reyes

“I love President Thomas S. Monson, and I will miss him. Throughout my life, he has been an example of selfless service and visionary leadership. When I was a young leader of a Latter-day Saint congregation, I looked to President Monson for inspiration and was blessed by his example, and I have continued to look to him for spiritual guidance. His life was a living illustration of individual ministry to the lonely and the downtrodden. His example moved me then, as it does now, to come to the rescue of those in need and to lift those who are weary.
 
“I will always treasure the quiet interactions we shared together. In his presence, I knew I was speaking to someone intimately familiar with the Lord. Beyond his talks, teachings and testimony, his service and charity towards his fellowmen were unsurpassed. His love for the human family, like his love for God, was unbounded.
 
“As a community leader, President Monson was peerless, and yet, he never sought the accolades of the world. His sights were set on a more lasting and transcendent goal of lifting the human spirit and condition to a higher plane. He was blessed with a wry sense of humor and a seemingly bottomless well of stories, a gift for language that he used to touch the lives of millions, as well as to lift each person that he met individually.
 
“Saysha and I express our sincere and deepest condolences to President Monson’s family, as well as to the members of the LDS Church who are mourning the passing of their prophet. We are all better because of President Monson’s service, and it is my hope that we might all, as he did, come to the rescue of those who are in need around us.”
 

Mitt Romney

Salt Lake Chamber

Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber, issued the following statement regarding the passing of President Thomas S. Monson.

“The state of Utah has lost a great Leader. President Monson’s influence has far exceeded his religious responsibilities, stewardship, and love for the Latter-day Saints around the world. “He is truly a friend of all people. His willingness to work with all leaders and religions in the State of Utah has set him apart as a giant in our community. His love, compassion, and empathy have strengthened our entire state. His influence has added to the quality of life, economic development, and personal example that so many of us in Utah have benefited. He has spent his life in service to us all.”

Rep. Chris Stewart

Sutherland Institute

Today Sutherland President Boyd Matheson released the following statement on the passing of Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

“President Thomas S. Monson was truly larger than life – not because he traveled the world, held positions of prominence or was adored by millions of church members – but because he relentlessly sought out and ministered to the ‘one.’ He recognized that opportunities to help the poor, cheer the lonely, and strengthen the struggling soul usually came at inconvenient moments,” Matheson said. “President Monson challenged people everywhere to live their lives with a sensitivity to spiritual nudges so that they could become the answer to someone’s silent cry for help.  He said, ‘We watch. We wait. We listen for that still, small voice. When it speaks, wise men and women obey. Promptings of the spirit are not to be postponed.’ Throughout his life President Monson was the epitome of the adage that ‘God hears every prayer, then usually answers it through the goodness and kindness of another human being.’ Thomas Monson proved that responding to every inclination and every prompting to do good and lift others is the surest path to a life well lived and a legacy worth leaving.”

The news about the passing of Monson was announced by a Church spokesperson late Tuesday night, saying the he died of “causes incident to age.”

President Monson died at the age of 90.

News4Utah will continue to update this story as reaction comes in.