Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday evening in Washington after almost a quarter of a century representing South Carolina in the Senate.
According to a preliminary examination of the 71-year-old, he died of what was described as “Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.”
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin told his X followers on Sunday afternoon that he had obtained a statement from the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office.
“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the medical examiner’s office said.
BREAKING: An initial examination from the DC Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died as a result of “Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease”. In layman’s terms, this means a tear in the aorta caused by hardening &…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 12, 2026
Melugin added of the initial culprit of Graham’s sudden passing, “In layman’s terms, this means a tear in the aorta caused by hardening & narrowing of arteries as a result of underlying cardiovascular disease.”
Were you surprised when the news hit that Graham, not McConnell, had passed?
In a separate post on X, ophthalmologist Houman David Hemmati shared a diagram of a human heart that described what could have gone wrong in more detail.
Hemmati wrote:
“As you see, the aorta is like the water main, a huge artery that sends oxygenated blood to the entire body. It’s under extreme pressure — every time the heart beats, it expands a little and has to withstand the force of blood pumping. To do this, it has to be elastic — able to bounce back after being stretched.”
“In some individuals with atherosclerotic disease (hardening of arteries), the inner aorta wall becomes hardened. Imagine a very old rubber band that is brittle and crumbles when you stretch it rather than stretching and bouncing back. The aorta wall crumbles slightly, allowing blood under high pressure to make its way between the inner and outer walls of the aorta.”
Hemmati concluded that after the aorta wall is compromised, a person’s heart can fail quickly.
🫀Now that’s it’s been revealed that Senator Lindsey Graham died of an aortic dissection, I wanted to provide some clarity as to what it is (and isn’t).
As you see👇, the aorta is like the water main, a huge artery that sends oxygenated blood to the entire body. It’s under… https://t.co/nMF9aQjgVy pic.twitter.com/p1mEa7sFd8
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) July 12, 2026
He wrote, “After just a few heartbeats (insufficient time to really do much about it in many cases), the blood peels the inner and outer walls of the aorta away from one another, causing it to burst. I’ve treated a patient with it — and he didn’t make it. It’s tough to survive.”
The Mayo Clinic also lays out how the condition can become fatal, and who is most likely to experience the medical emergency.
“Aortic dissection isn’t very common,” the Mayo Clinic says on its website.
The clinic adds, “It usually happens in men in their 60s and 70s. Symptoms of aortic dissection may seem like those of other health conditions. This often leads to delays in diagnosis. Early diagnosis and fast treatment of aortic dissection greatly improve the chance of survival.”
Graham was 71 years old at the time of his death.
The best ways to avoid suffering such a condition are to stabilize blood pressure, keep blood sugar and cholesterol under control, and to exercise regularly.
The Mayo Clinic also suggested cutting out smoking, getting quality sleep, and eating a balanced and nutritious diet.
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