Lindsey Graham, the Republican U.S. senator from South Carolina, died on Saturday after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” the statement said. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
He was 71.
Graham, who first won his office in 2002, had been a fixture in Republican politics both in South Carolina and in Washington. A staunch ally of President Donald Trump, he was on his way to clinching his fifth term in office this year, after winning his state’s June primary election.