A preliminary medical examiner’s report and other details have emerged in recent days to provide some context to the news of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) sudden death over the weekend.
Now, one of his Senate colleagues is offering insight into the phone call and emergency response that preceded Graham’s death from aortic dissection at the age of 71.
According to Fox News:
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., revealed that it was a former member of his staff that called for medical assistance to aid Graham, who died suddenly over the weekend just after his return from an overseas trip.
ADVERTISEMENT“My former scheduler was Lindsey’s scheduler, and one of my staff members was with that scheduler the night Lindsey called,” Tuberville told reporters. “He called [and] basically said, ‘Listen, I’m having chest pains. You know, I need to do something.’ ‘Did you call 911?’ And he goes, ‘No, that’s the reason I called you.’”
“And so she called 911… By the time she got there, 911 had knocked the door down, and they were working on him,” he continued.
A preliminary cause of death was revealed Sunday evening. His office said the longtime lawmaker had died from “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
Aortic dissection is when a tear occurs in the inner wall of the aorta, the body’s main artery, and is a life-threatening medical emergency.
“Lindsey basically worked himself to death, most of us have families, he didn’t have any family,” Tuberville said. “And if we had a couple of days off, he went to that airport, and he went somewhere to try to work out something for our country.”
Here’s more on the updates that have followed news of Graham’s death:
Heartbreaking. He fought for this nation until his very last breath.
May he rest in peace.
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) July 14, 2026
May he rest in peace.
— David R. Veloz (@drveloznj) July 14, 2026
Where was Senator Grahams security detail?
— Dragzotics (@dragzotics) July 14, 2026
The New York Post added these details:
Emergency dispatch audio previously reviewed by The Post indicates that paramedics were dispatched to Graham’s Capitol Hill townhouse around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Shortly before 9 p.m., emergency personnel reported that CPR was in progress, and a man at the house was suffering from cardiac arrest.
A neighbor later shared photos of an older man being taken from Graham’s house on a wheeled stretcher and loaded into an ambulance around 9:30 p.m.
Graham’s office announced his death shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, and the DC medical examiner’s office issued a preliminary finding that his death was caused by an aortic dissection brought about by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
And here’s some additional coverage:
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