Madsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the second son of Axel A. Madsen and the former Emily Wells Grant. His mother was a daughter of Heber J. Grant. Madsen's mother died when he was about 2 and he was raised in the home of his aunt Deseret Grant Doyle and her husband Ashby Douglas Doyle, where his father also resided. This as well as the home where Madsen had lived previously was in the Avenues area of Salt Lake City close to the home of Heber J. Grant, and of 5 of Madsen's mother's sisters, and he spent extensive amounts of time in all these homes growing up. Madsen served as a missionary in the New EnglandMission with S. Dilworth Young as his mission president. After his marriage and the start of his academic career, he was called in 1961 to serve as president of the New England Mission. He served in this position until he was replaced by Boyd K. Packer in 1965. Madsen received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He also studied at the University of Utah and the University of Southern California. Madsen wrote several philosophical theses, including Four Essays on Love. He also wrote a paper "Are Christians Mormon?", as well as a biography of B. H. Roberts. While at Brigham Young University, Madsen held the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding for over 20 years. He also for a time served as the director of the BYU Jerusalem Center. Madsen most recently served in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the patriarch of the ProvoUtah Sharon East Stake. He died at his home on the morning of 28 May 2009 from bone cancer. He also served as a stake President at a BYU Student stake, with James Fillmore and Dennis Harper as counselors. Towards the end of his service the stake included 14 wards and was later split into other stakes. During his time as stake president, the stake met in the HFAC on the BYU, Provo, Utah Campus. He encouraged worship services to include inspirational music. Since the stake met in the building with concert halls several stake conferences were held there which included a full orchestra. He even asked for and received permission to include brass instruments. The stake also held stake conferences in the then, Provo Tabernacle. He received permission to pass the sacrament during stake conferences there on several occasions. During another occasion the stake held the stake conference at an outdoor mountain venue. During this time as stake president he also delivered and recorded a lecture series on the prophets and presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from Joseph Smith, down to President Gordon B. Hinckley.
