(Reuters) – US 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.
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Graham, 71, was a prominent Republican senator from South Carolina. Earlier in his career, he was a vocal critic of US President â Donald Trump before becoming one of his most loyal allies on Capitol Hill.
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“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” his office added.
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Graham was elected to the US Senate in 2002. Before serving in the upper house, he was elected to the ‌US â House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina’s third congressional district, according to his website.
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A defense hawk, his website said he had “consistently pushed for outcomes in the â War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests.”
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Graham recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. â Graham also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Judiciary Committee and â Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
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Graham was not married and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.