Senator Lindsey Graham’s Preliminary Cause of Death Revealed After He Was Found Dead in His D.C. Home

South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham died due to a ruptured aorta brought on by chronic heart disease, according to the initial findings of the Washington D.C. medical examiner’s office.

The rep passed away at the age of 71 on Saturday, July 11, from “Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease,” the medical examiner's report said. The condition plagues older men and involves a tear in the body’s main artery.

He was found dead at his D.C. residence shortly after he came back home from his trip to Ukraine.

“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 in a statement on Sunday, July 12.

Graham's office initially only noted the politician died from a “brief and sudden illness," and suffered from "cardiac arrest."

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," their statement went on.

Paramedics were seen carrying a person on a stretcher from Graham's home into an ambulance to be transferred to George Washington Hospital on Saturday evening, with police cars and fire trucks also being spotted at the scene.

On July 10, Graham returned to the U.S. after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

President Donald Trump revealed on Sunday's episode of NBC's Meet the Press he spoke with the late attorney the evening before he died.

"He was fine. I knew him well. He would let you know if he wasn’t feeling well," Trump. 80, said. “He got back, said he just landed from Ukraine, I said, ‘That’s a long trip.’ He sounded a little tired, but perfect, but a little bit tired — he had the right to be, he was a worker. He was really a worker. But he sounded great, actually. But he actually said he was tired.”

The POTUS then speculated Graham passed away right after the two men conversed. “It must have been right after that, because I understand the police or whoever it is came there at about 7:30-8:00 in the evening… so somebody notified them," Trump added.

“He was like a member of the family to me, it’s very tough,” the businessman said.

Graham died two days after he celebrated his 71st birthday, and reportedly has a family history of heart disease. His own father died at the age of 69 due to a heart attack when the senator was 22.