Senator Lindsey Graham dies at 71

2026-07-12

Dies of sudden illness, cause not disclosed

U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died on the 11th at age 71. His office said he died of a 'sudden illness', but did not disclose the exact cause of death.

Known for hard line on Iran

He was known as a Republican heavyweight and had a close relationship with President Donald Trump. He took a pro-Israel stance and had advised Trump to take a tough approach toward Iran. In foreign policy, he was seen as a 'hawk' and held influence over Republican policymaking.

Trump paid tribute on social media, saying 'One of the greatest Senators ever to live is gone. He was a true Patriot' and 'I am very sad', and said details and funeral arrangements would be announced later.

He was also active in support for Ukraine and had visited the country shortly before his death. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media that Graham was 'here with our people when it was most needed' and revealed that they had met twice in just the past week.

Re-elected from the House to the Senate

Born in South Carolina in 1955, he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the state in 1994 and served eight years in the House. From 2002 to 2020, he won repeated elections to the U.S. Senate, and had been seeking a fifth term in this November's midterm election.

His relationship with Trump was not good at first. In the 2008 presidential election, he was close to the late former Senator John McCain and publicly criticized Trump. In the 2016 presidential election, he explored his own bid and joined Trump and others in the Republican nomination race, but later withdrew. After McCain died in 2018, he gradually moved closer to Trump and in recent years had become one of the senators most devoted to defending him.

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