Graham, 71 at the time of his passing, was a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina.
United States Senator Lindsey Graham died on Saturday evening following a brief and sudden illness, the communications director for his office shared over a post on X early Sunday.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” the statement read.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” it added.
Graham, 71 at the time of his passing, was a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina. A faithful ally of US President Donald Trump on most matters, in 2025, he had sponsored the Russia sanctions bill, warning countries that imported oil from Russia — specifically India, China and Brazil — of steep tariffs.
‘One of the greatest people’
Soon after Graham’s death, US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to mourn the loss, referring to him as “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote over the post.
Israel mourns the loss
Israel’s top officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, offered their condolences following Graham’s death.
Over separate X posts, they called Graham as ”a true friend of the State of Israel” and one of its strongest supporters.
Israeli Defence Minister Katz took to X to share the Senator’s steadfast support for Israel. He wrote: “His repeated visits during one of the darkest chapters in Israel’s history reflected his deep commitment to the Jewish state and its right to live in peace and security.”
He also called Graham “an exceptional leader, a man of principle, and a dear friend whose legacy will endure for generations.”
Moreover, Israeli President Isaac Herzog remembered him as a “beacon of moral clarity and a true leader of the US-Israel partnership.”
Who was Lindsey Graham?
Graham, a former US Air Force officer and attorney, entered the US Senate in 2002, his website stated. Before serving in the upper house, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina’s third congressional district, it added.
He was recently appointed as the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, as well as the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary between 2019 and 2021. Graham had also served as a member of the USAF Reserve during his time in the Congress, holding the rank of colonel after he retired in 2015.
A presidential hopeful, who sought the Republican nomination in 2016, Graham had criticised Trump’s candidacy at the time. However, he changed tracks after Trump entered the White House.
Earlier this year, Graham had called for rejecting Pakistan as the mediator for talks in West Asia, declaring that he doesn’t “trust” Islamabad, and suggested that Washington should look for an alternative mediator in order to have truce with Iran.
The Republican senator’s remarks came after an earlier CBS News report cited US officials and stated that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields such as Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan amid the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
