Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham delayed seeking medical attention after complaining that he felt unwell just hours before his sudden death at age 71, according to a new Axios report.
Graham’s office announced that the South Carolina Republican died unexpectedly Saturday night following a sudden illness.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” the statement, posted Sunday, July 12, read. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
Graham had been scheduled to appear on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning to discuss his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and his position on Iran.
The longtime senator spoke with President Donald Trump by phone Saturday night about the Ukraine trip and the Russia sanctions bill he wanted the Senate to consider, Axios reported.
The bipartisan legislation was expected to tighten the screws on Moscow by targeting countries that purchase Russian oil.
Shortly after the call, Graham told someone he was feeling unwell, according to Axios.
The person urged Graham to seek medical attention immediately, but the senator reportedly said he would do so after his appearance on “Meet the Press” the next morning.
Graham, one of Washington’s loudest and most influential foreign policy hawks, reportedly joked, “I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,” according to the publication.
He died several hours later.
Graham’s communications director, Taylor Reidy, said Sunday that a preliminary examination by the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Graham died from a ruptured aorta caused by chronic heart disease.
Reidy shared the findings on X, writing that Graham’s cause of death was listed as “Aortic Dissection due to 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,” the medical examiner’s office said.
Graham grew up in the small town of Central, South Carolina, before emerging as a powerful voice on foreign policy during his decades in Washington.
He served as an Air Force lawyer and a state representative before winning election to the House in 1994.
Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002 and later mounted a brief presidential campaign during the 2016 election cycle.
Despite occasional clashes with Trump, Graham became one of the president’s most important allies on Capitol Hill and frequently joined him on the golf course.
At the time of his death, Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was campaigning for a fifth Senate term in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump mourned his longtime ally in a Truth Social post shortly after Graham’s death.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
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