Mormon church president Gordon Hinckley dead at 97: officials

CASPER - Mormon Church President Gordon Hinckley died in Salt Lake City, Utah, late Saturday at the age of 97, church officials said.
Hinckley, considered prophet by church members, had served as president since March of 1995.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), as Mormon officially call themselves, claims a worldwide membership of 13 million people, but fewer than half of them actualy live in the the United States.
Thirty-six percent of church members reside in Latin America and 17 percent outside of the Western Hemisphere. A significant LDS community exists in Canada.
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01/28/2008 03:47 GMT