The South Carolina senator suffered a tear in the inner wall of his body’s main artery, linked to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease; final determination awaits toxicology and microscopic testingynet|Sen. Lindsey Graham died from an aortic dissection linked to cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary findings released after the South Carolina Republican’s sudden death at age 71.Graham’s office said the D.C. medical examiner found that he suffered a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s main artery. The condition was caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which involves the thickening and hardening of arterial walls.US Sen. Lindsey Graham (Photo: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)The findings are not yet final. Graham’s office said a death certificate remains pending until toxicological and microscopic testing is completed.“At that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the statement said.According to The Washington Post, emergency responders were called to Graham’s Washington home at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday after receiving a report of chest pain. Police scanner audio obtained by the newspaper indicated that CPR was later underway after he went into cardiac arrest.A witness photographed a man being taken from the home on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital.Graham died hours after returning from Kyiv, where he had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed new sanctions on Russia.President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Graham shortly before the medical emergency. Trump told CNN that the senator had said he was tired but otherwise appeared well.The president later described Graham as “like a member of the family” and called him a “true American Patriot.”Graham served in Congress for more than three decades and had been seeking reelection. His death narrows the Republican majority in the Senate.South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster can appoint a temporary replacement to serve through the end of Graham’s term in January.Comments