Veteran Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a “brief and sudden” illness.

A statement released early Sunday said Graham passed away on Saturday and asked for privacy for his family during their time of mourning.

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement said.

First elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, Graham went on to become one of the chamber’s most influential Republican lawmakers during more than two decades in office.

He was reelected three times, most recently in 2020, and held several key leadership and committee roles throughout his Senate career.

At the time of his death, Graham served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was also a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees.

Before joining the Senate, Graham represented South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives after first winning election in 1994.

Over a political career spanning more than three decades, Graham became a prominent voice on national security, judicial appointments, federal spending and foreign policy, establishing himself as one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable figures in Congress.

Tributes are expected from colleagues across the political spectrum as lawmakers remember his decades of public service and enduring influence on American politics.