Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) speaks to reporters after giving a speech on the Senate floor of Congress on January 30, 2026, in Washington, DC.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham has died, his office announced Sunday.
“On Saturday night, July 11th, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away after a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement on X.
Graham, a prominent Republican from South Carolina, is 71 years old.
His office added: “Senator Graham’s family appreciates your prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
A spokesperson for Graham told MS NOW that he had just returned from a trip to Ukraine. She had no additional information about the circumstances of his death and said more information would become available in the coming days.
His Senate website describes Graham as a “conservative problem solver and one of the strongest proponents of a strong national defense.”
Mr. Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020.
He chaired the Senate Budget Committee and also served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Before becoming a senator, Mr. Graham was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Mr. Graham served in the U.S. Air Force, serving six and a half years on active duty as an Air Force attorney.
During the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, Graham was called to active duty and served as a legal staff member preparing troops for deployment to the Gulf region.
Mr. Graham retired from the Air Force Reserve in June 2015 after serving his country in uniform for 33 years. He retired with the rank of colonel.
A native South Carolinian, Graham grew up in a blue-collar family in the small town of Central, where his parents owned a restaurant and pool hall, according to his website. The first member of his family to attend college, Graham earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of South Carolina.
