US Senator Lindsey Graham, close aide of Trump, dies at 71

Lindsey Graham, the longtime South Carolina senator whose rise from a blue-collar background to the heart of Republican politics made him one of the party's most recognisable figures, died on Saturday.

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) dies at 71 (REUTERS)

The 71-year-old was a key ally of US president Donald Trump and one of the most influential conservative voices in Congress.

The news of his death was announced on his official X account, with his office attributing it to a "brief and sudden illness".