Senator Lindsey Graham died from tear in the aorta

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham died from a tear in the body’s main artery caused by cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary findings released by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington, D.C.

The District of Columbia medical examiner said Sunday that the preliminary cause of Graham’s death was an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. An aortic dissection occurs when a tear develops in the inner layer of the aorta, allowing blood to flow between the layers of the artery wall.

Graham, a Republican who represented South Carolina in the Senate for more than 23 years, died Saturday evening after what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” He had turned 71 two days earlier.

The death certificate remains pending while toxicology and microscopic testing are completed. The medical examiner said it will be updated with the final cause and manner of death once those tests are finished.

Graham had just returned from a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday as part of efforts to end the war.

A prominent voice on national security and foreign policy, Graham served in Congress for more than three decades. He represented South Carolina in the House from 1995 until joining the Senate in 2003.