U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, passed away on July 11 after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement in the early hours of July 12.
No further details were immediately given regarding the senator’s passing. Graham’s family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement said.
Graham was 71. He had served in the U.S. Senate since 2003.
Tributes poured in for the late senator overnight through July 12. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Graham was “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X that his “heart is heavy” after Graham’s passing. He described Graham as “a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe.”
“He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause,” Thune said.
And South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described him in a media statement as “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America” and “a loyal and steadfast friend.”
International tributes poured in as well. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara “grieve with the American people” over Graham’s passing.
“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Graham was “a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.”
“He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed,” he said.
Born July 9, 1955 in Central, South Carolina, Graham attended the University of South Carolina, where he ultimately obtained a Juris Doctor from the university’s law school in 1981. He served in the JAG Corps of the U.S. Air Force before working as a lawyer in his home state.
His political career began in 1992 when he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. He rose to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995 and began serving in the U.S. Senate eight years later.
A staunch ally of Trump, Graham was initially a sharp critic of the Republican president before backing him after his victory in the 2016 election. He was a fixture on political news television shows in the later years of his career.
A lifelong bachelor, Graham wrote in his memoir that he “never found time to meet the right girl, or the right girl was smart enough not to have time for me.”
A Southern Baptist, Graham was a member of Corinth Baptist Church in Seneca, South Carolina, where he lived. He is survived by his sister Darline and extended family.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday pressed Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on the importance of her Christian faith, asking at one point, “Could you fairly judge a Catholic?”