GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden’ illness

South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has died at 71, his office announced early Sunday in a statement on social media.

"On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness. Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," his office wrote on social media.

Graham was slated to appear on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning after having just returned from a trip to Ukraine.

President Donald Trump led tributes to Graham, a leading Republican voice on security issues and staunch ally of the president, describing him as a “true American Patriot.”

"Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!" the president wrote in Truth Social.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with Graham on Friday in Kyiv, called Graham a "true defender of freedom and of the values that make our world safer" and revealed he was working on "important initiatives that could help bring peace closer, including strengthening sanctions against Russia.”

“We were in constant dialogue, which I will miss,” he said.