Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died late Saturday night following a “brief and sudden illness,” according to a statement released by his office. He was 71.

His office did not immediately reply to a request for information on his cause of death. But audio reviewed by NPR shows that emergency services personnel responded to a call of cardiac arrest at Graham’s Washington home Saturday night.

An adaptable and sometimes controversial dealmaker, Graham was the last surviving member of an influential group of Senate defense hawks. During his near-quarter century in the Senate, Graham was also instrumental in enacting President Trump’s policy and staffing priorities — after first starting out as a fierce Trump critic.