Sen. Lindsey Graham died late Saturday night at age 71. Preliminary findings from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner showed that he died from a serious tear in his body’s main artery caused by heart disease.

• Graham had just returned from a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia.

Graham was a supporter of strong U.S. military action overseas. He served in the Senate for 23 years after spending eight years in the House of Representatives. Before politics, Graham served more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired as a colonel.

• President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Graham was “one of the greatest people and senators,” and he ordered U.S. flags be lowered to half-staff in his honor.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Graham’s support for freedom, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Graham was one of Israel’s friends.

The governor of South Carolina will appoint someone to finish the remaining five months of his term, but Graham’s death creates pressure on the Republican majority in the Senate. It also costs the State of Israel one of its most avid defenders in the U.S. Senate and could hurt already damaged relations between the two countries.