Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican US senator from South Carolina, has passed away. He was 71 years old.
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In the early hours of Sunday, Graham’s team issued a statement about his sudden death. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness. Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
Graham had reportedly just returned from Ukraine shortly before his death. According to NBC News, emergency personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s home in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. A top staff member of Graham’s also told the media outlet that there was no indication the politician was unwell, and that he was set to appear on Meet the Press on Sunday.
Born on July 9, 1955, Graham entered politics as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1992. He went on to become the US Representative from South Carolina’s third district, serving from 1995 until winning election to the US Senate in 2002. He served in the US Air Force as active from 1982 to 1989, guard from 1989 to 1995, and reserve from 1995 to 2015.
Graham has served as a US senator for more than 20 years. He was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was seeking a fifth Senate term.
Although he was an early critic, Graham became one of President Trump’s closest Republican allies.
He was also known as a close friend of the late US Senator of Arizona, John McCain. He previously had a friendship with former President Joe Biden while they served together in the US Senate.
Graham never married.
Meghan McCain Quickly Breaks Her Silence Over Graham’s Sudden Passing
Shortly after the news of Graham’s sudden passing broke, McCain’s daughter and former The View co-host, Meghan, broke her silence.
“The first time I met Lindsey Graham, I was 11 years old in a hotel lobby, and he had just attended a political event with my Dad,” she wrote. “He sat down next to me and told me that he loved my Dad.”
McCain then wrote, “I remember liking his deep southern accent and smile and immediately felt comfortable around him – he somehow seemed younger, hipper and more interesting than most of the political figures that rotated around my Dads orbit.”
The former talk show host also wrote that her father, Graham, and Joe Lieberman were known as “The Three Amigos.”
“My Dad was the soul of the group, Joe was the heart of the group, and Lindsey was the fire and humor. Their combination bonded them as friends throughout their lives. That friendship is something that is so rare in politics, it is nearly extinct but I got to witness it first hand. They spent their lives united as friends and allies. They were brothers.”
McCain did acknowledge that the relationship with Graham was ‘complex” in later years. However, she stated she chose to remember the “endless laughter and joy” the late senator brought to her family.
“I hope that he is at peace and I hope he is in heaven drinking a white Russian and fishing with my Dad and Joe,” she added.