Veteran South Carolina senator, longtime Trump ally, and influential national security voice dies after office announces ‘brief and sudden illness’
WASHINGTON | U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the veteran South Carolina Republican whose career spanned more than three decades in Congress and who became one of the Republican Party's most influential voices on foreign policy and national security, has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness."
Graham's office announced that he passed away Saturday evening, requesting privacy for his family and offering no additional details regarding the cause of death. The news immediately prompted tributes from political leaders across the United States and abroad, underscoring Graham's outsized role in shaping Republican policy and U.S. international engagement.
President Donald Trump, one of Graham's closest political allies in recent years, called the senator "one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known," praising his patriotism and decades of public service. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also honored Graham's legacy, describing him as a steadfast advocate for both his home state and the nation.

