US Senator Lindsey Graham, a leading Republican voice on foreign policy and a close ally of President Donald Trump, died on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 71 years old.
His office and the District of Columbia medical examiner stated that preliminary findings indicate the senator died of an aortic dissection. The cause of death was linked to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
An aortic dissection occurs when the lining of the artery tears in the inner wall of the aorta. In this instance, the tear was related to the hardening of Graham's arteries.
The condition is described by an expert as being like a knife to the heart. It is characterized as deadly, sudden, and difficult to treat.