SALT LAKE CITY – Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will convene for the faith’s general conference this weekend.

But before that, on Wednesday morning, a special broadcast will pay tribute to President Russell M. Nelson, who died over the weekend at age 101.

Having a church president pass away so close to conference is a rare occurrence.

“There’s only one time in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that a prophet has died this close to a general conference,” said Paul Reeve, Simmons chair of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah.

That happened in 1951, Reeve explained, when church President George Albert Smith died just two days before general conference, which is held twice a year.

President George Albert Smith speaks in Salt L

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