Lindsey Graham's Preliminary Cause of Death Revealed

Sen. Lindsey Graham's death appears to have stemmed from a major heart complication, according to preliminary findings released by his office. The District of Columbia medical examiner identified the cause as an aortic dissection linked to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease—an aortic dissection is a tear in the inner wall of the body's main artery that can rapidly become fatal, Politico reports. The New York Times adds that the type of disease referred to involves weakening and hardening of the arteries over time, and the Washington Post notes that such tears typically occur in people with high blood pressure. The medical examiner's office is still conducting toxicology and microscopic tests, and Graham's death certificate will remain listed as pending until that work is complete and the manner of death is formally classified.

Graham, a four-term Republican senator from South Carolina, died Saturday evening after what his office initially described as a "brief and sudden illness." Emergency responders were called to his Capitol Hill residence at 8:27pm for a report of chest pain; they administered CPR upon arrival. Per the Times, Graham had returned from a trip to Ukraine hours before the emergency call. He had been there working on an effort to impose sanctions on purchasers of oil from Russia, and the Post notes he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while there. His family has asked for privacy and thanked the public for its prayers.