The President of the High Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away last night.

The speed at which the news spread was phenomenal. Aided by technologies that were not yet available or wide spread when the previous prophet passed away in 1995, the news traveled quickly by word of mouth. Within an hour of his passing we had received Instant Messages, Text Messages, and Telephone calls from friends and relatives. Those whom we contacted many states away had already heard from others before two hours had passed since his death. Even friends who are lamentably no longer associated with the Church took the time to send email to pass the news along.

President Hinckley presided over so many sweeping changes to the Church’s structure and policy:

Naturalist Steve Irwin, star of the popular television program “The Crocodile Hunter” was killed today by a string ray which stung him him in the chest. Mr. Irwin was a wonderful entertainer in addition to being a solid naturalist with a wealth of knowledge, especially in the realm of herpetology.