Prominent US Senator Lindsey Graham, a key ally of President Donald Trump, died on Saturday aged 71 following a "brief and sudden illness," his office said in a statement on his official X account. "On the evening of Saturday, July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," the Republican senator from South Carolina's office said, adding that his "family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period." Graham was elected to the US Senate in 2002. Before serving in the upper house, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina's third congressional district, according to his website. A defense hawk, his website said he had "consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests." Graham recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Graham also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Graham was not married and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.
