US Senator Lindsey Graham, the veteran Republican from South Carolina and close ally of President Donald Trump, died suddenly on Saturday evening at the age of 71. His office stated that he passed away from a 'brief and sudden illness'. Preliminary findings from the District of Columbia medical examiner attributed the cause to an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, involving a tear in the main artery carrying blood from the heart.
The death occurred hours after Graham returned from a trip to Ukraine and minutes after he spoke with President Trump. Emergency personnel responded to a call reporting cardiac arrest at his Washington residence. Graham had turned 71 just days earlier and was scheduled for television appearances the following day.
