JULY 13, 2026

Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 from Aortic Tear, Leaving Senate GOP Majority Narrowed

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, died Saturday night at age 71 after what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness." A preliminary report from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner's office determined the cause of death was a tear in his aorta stemming from the hardening of his arteries. Graham had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where he had announced a new package of sanctions against Russia.

Graham died on Saturday night, days after returning from Kyiv, where he had brokered a deal with the Trump administration on a new Russia sanctions package. He had been scheduled to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" the following Sunday to discuss it; President Trump appeared in his place and said, "I just can't believe it. He was like a member of the family," according to the Associated Press.

Born July 19, 1955, in Central, South Carolina, Graham was raised in a single room behind his family's restaurant, bar, and pool hall — the Sanitary Cafe — where his parents were the owners. He became the first in his family to attend college at the University of South Carolina, losing both parents while still a student, and subsequently became the legal guardian of his younger sister. He earned a law degree, served as a judge advocate general in the Air Force, and eventually retired as a colonel in 2015 after being awarded the Bronze Star. He won a South Carolina state house seat in 1992, moved to the U.S. House in 1994, and was elected to the Senate in 2002 to fill Strom Thurmond's seat.

Graham's career was defined in part by two relationships: his close alliance with Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman — the trio called themselves "The Three Amigos" — and his evolution from a vocal critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican primary to one of his most prominent Senate allies. CNN's coverage centered on tracing that arc, examining how Graham moved from calling Trump "the world's biggest jackass" during the 2016 campaign to becoming a frequent golfing partner and White House intermediary. The Associated Press provided the most detailed biographical account, noting that the relationship did rupture briefly after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack before Graham urged Republicans to again rally behind Trump in 2022.