U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., gestures as he speaks to the media in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 18, 2024. AP-Yonhap
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away on Saturday evening after a brief and sudden illness, the communications director for his office said in a post on X early on Sunday.
Graham, 71, was a prominent Republican senator from South Carolina. Earlier in his career, he was a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump before becoming one of his most loyal allies on Capitol Hill.
"Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," his office added.
Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002. Before serving in the upper house, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina's third congressional district, according to his website.
