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Update: KSL Newsradio reports a new Church president will be announced Monday morning. Church officials sent a statement, saying the announcement will happen at 11 a.m. from the Church Office Building.
Team Coverage and the AP reporting
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Salt Lake City Saturday to bid farewell to the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
President Gordon B. Hinckley was laid to rest in the Salt Lake City Cemetery following a funeral service at the Conference Center.
Those who paid tribute to President Hinckley on Saturday called him a wonderful father, a man who believed in miracles, a Renaissance man, a cherished friend.
President Hinckley's casket moved slowly past his colleagues, the Apostles. His two counselors stood on either side of his empty chair. The opening hymn was one he wrote. But this service was first for his family.
His daughter Virginia H. Pearce told the crowd, "Our father was adorable, and he was a marvel to watch. Disciplined and courageous, with an unbelievable capacity for work, he believed in growth. That process of continual growth is the story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints that he loved to tell."
"The death of this wonderful leader brings to a close a chapter in church history spanning over 50 years," said Thomas S. Monson, who is in line to succeed President Hinckley as head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"The poet wrote, 'Here, and there, and now, and then God makes a giant among men.' President Hinckley was such a giant, a giant of knowledge, of faith, of love, of testimony, of compassion, of vision. I cannot adequately Express How much I miss him," President Monson said.
Next week, the church will dedicate its 125th temple, in Rexburg, Idaho, one of more than 75 built under President Hinckley's directon.
In the rich legacy President Hinckley left is the Perpetual Education Fund.
During the Hinckley era, 40 percent of the church's missionaries 400,000 were called, and membership grew to more than 13 million.
Elder Earl C. Tingey, of the Presidency of the Seventy, said, "Gordon B. Hinckley was the great communicator. He opened the doors to the world's media and defined the church to a worldwide audience."
"It is a miracle. President Hinckley was about miracles. He knew that breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries was critically important to full participation in the gospel of Jesus Christ," a senior bishop, H. David Burton, said as he spoke about temples and other milestones.
President Boyd K. Packer, former acting president of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and President Henry B. Eyring, former second counselor in the First Presidency, also spoke.
"I have regarded this power of communication and charm of President Hinckley as simply as brotherly love and humility," President Packer said.
His colleagues say President Hinckley never forgot the common man.
"More than once he tapped his finger on my chest, somewhere where my heart is, when I made a suggestion and said, 'Hal, have you remembered the person who is struggling?'" Pres. Eyring said.
President Eyring said when he and President Monson visited President Hinckley a few days before his death, President Hinckley asked how they were doing.
"I gave a simple answer, 'Fine.' I only wish I had answered 'better than ever and I know the best is yet to come because I was blessed to live when I could hear your voice and learn from your example,'" President Eyring said.
The funeral was held in the Church's 21,000-seat downtown Conference Center, which was built during President Hinckley's tenure to accommodate the growing church. Overflow seating was available in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and at least two other buildings.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a member of the LDS Church, took time off the campaign trail to attend the funeral. Politicians from Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon were expected to attend, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also a Church member.
Three to four hours before the funeral began, lines stretched out of Temple Square -- where free tickets for the funeral were being distributed -- onto the public sidewalk. People braved the weather on the cold, clear morning, most of them dressed in heavy coats because temperatures were in the 20s.
People standing in line said it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Christopher Moore said, "It's just different being here in person, just being there and feeling the spirit there."
George Master said, "I was thinking about this on Monday morning, whether I was going to run the Desert Classic marathon in Arizona or come to this. After hours of praying, I came to the conclusion that whatever I chose would be the right thing, and here I am today."
Many people we spoke to came from across the country to be in Salt Lake for the services.
Mark Kennedy told KSL TV, "We came all the way from Nauvoo. It took us a few days to get here. We had to travel through the snow in the mountains, and we didn't get through Highway 80, but we finally made it. We're glad to be here today and glad to celebrate the life of Gordon B. Hinckley."
There was quiet conversation in line this morning, and volunteers from Idaho passed out cups of hot chocolate. "There's nowhere else on Earth I'd rather be at this moment, even if it's freezing," said Michelle Miller of Salt Lake, who was waiting to get in.
Those in line come from all walks of life but share a common bond in their love and respect for President Hinckley. One woman told KSL Newsradio, "One time President Hinckley took my hand and told me my work is as important as his."
Another said, "I just loved his sense of humor. I just loved the man. He was a great leader."
"I live in New Zealand, so I moved over here. That's why I know him very well."
"He's the only prophet I've known, because I got baptized in '96," someone else told us.
Pres. Thomas S. Monson said, "President Hinckley was such a giant, a giant of knowledge, of faith, of love, of testimony, of compassion, of vision. I cannot adequately express how much I miss him."
That sentiment was echoed in the tears of millions of Latter-day Saints who called him "the people's prophet."
Following his funeral today, the bell atop the Salt Lake City and County Building tolled 97 times -- one for each year of his life.
President Hinckley's funeral was of interest outside Utah, too. He traveled the world extensively, as we all know, even before he became the president of the church. So, church members around the world were watching today.
More than 200 translators sent the tributes and eulogies in 69 languages to nearly 6,000 church buildings. Those translated broadcasts were sent through the Church's satellite system.
Friday, KSL had a chance to speak with the Mission President of Albania, on a webcam on the Internet. Paul Clayton said there are about 1,500 LDS members in Albania; many watched the funeral Saturday.
He recalled the first satellite broadcast in Albania in which President Hinckley was seen during General Conference. "The people here love President Hinckley. The first time we got a satellite, they started taking pictures of him with their digital cameras off the screen, as they could see him talking live for the first time," Clayton said.
Church members there were also thrilled last October when President Hinckley mentioned Albania in his remarks about the worldwide growth of the church.
KSL Newsradio's Andrew Adams reports TRAX trains were packed with Church members headed downtown for the funeral Saturday morning. "I wanted to avoid traffic congestion and the mess down there," one rider told us.
President Hinckley died Sunday at the age of 97, the oldest leader of the 13 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, alongside his wife. His successor is expected to be named next week.
For more information on KSL's full coverage of President Hinckley's funeral, click the related link.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
