US Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after 'brief and sudden illness,' office says

US Sen. Lindsey Graham died Saturday at the age of 71, his office said Sunday.

"On the evening of Saturday, July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," his office said in a statement.

"Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," the statement added.

President Donald Trump said he ordered American flags across the US to be flown at half-staff in honor of the late senator.

"In honor of the remarkable life and achievements of Senator Lindsey Graham, a dear friend of mine, and a truly great man, who achieved so much for our Country, and his beloved Home State of South Carolina, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Saturday evening at 6 P.M.," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Later, Graham's office released preliminary findings from his postmortem examination, saying he died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

“The death certificate will be pending until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death," his office said, according to local media.

A Republican from South Carolina, Graham was elected to the Senate in November 2002 and was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2003. He was reelected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.

A close ally of Trump, Graham chaired the Senate Budget Committee and was running for a fifth six-year Senate term in the November election.

Under South Carolina law, the governor has the authority to appoint an interim senator to serve until a successor is elected.

As a result, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is expected to appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham's Senate seat. The appointee would represent South Carolina in the Senate until a successor is elected and officially takes office in accordance with state law.

The race to replace Graham is not expected to alter the broader battle for control of the upper chamber in November, as South Carolina has long been considered a reliably Republican state.

An outspoken supporter of Israel, Graham was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.

Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine, had recently returned from a visit to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

His final hours

According to Axios, Graham's final hours included a phone call with Trump on Saturday night, during which he briefed the president on his recent trip to Ukraine and legislation he hoped the Senate would soon consider to impose additional sanctions on Russia.

Trump reportedly told Graham he was preparing to launch fresh strikes against Iran following another attack on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

A person who spoke with Graham shortly after the call said the senator complained that he was feeling unwell. When urged to seek immediate medical attention, Graham reportedly declined, saying he would go to the hospital Sunday morning after his scheduled appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Graham then joked: "I can't die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization."

Graham died several hours later, Axios reported.