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Sen. Lindsey Graham’s memorial services set for later this month

Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the FY2027 budget request on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The late Sen. Lindsey Graham will be honored later this month with separate services in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina, after the Republican died unexpectedly on July 11.

Graham’s office announced Friday that the senator’s life and legacy will be celebrated Tuesday, July 28 in Washington before separate services Wednesday, July 29 in South Carolina: Columbia, the state’s capital, and Pickens County, where Graham grew up and part of the district Graham represented.

While Graham’s office did not announce a location for the service in Washington, congressional sources told ABC News that the event is being held at the Washington National Cathedral. Graham’s office said that additional details regarding the services are forthcoming.

It’s not yet clear whether President Donald Trump will attend or have a role in the services.

Graham, a Trump ally who died serving in his fifth term in the Senate, was born in Central, South Carolina, in 1955. He graduated from Daniel High School in Central in 1973, according to his congressional biography.

Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said Graham died from an “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday after she was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster just days after her brother’s death. Trump supported her appointment, calling it a “fabulous tribute” to Lindsey Graham, who at a young age became Darline Graham’s legal guardian after the deaths of their parents.

On Friday, Trump called on Darline Graham to run in the upcoming special primary election for Senate in South Carolina, which would set her up to potentially fill the seat of her late brother in a more permanent way. 

Darline Graham has not yet announced whether she intends to run for the seat for the full term. A source involved with South Carolina politics told ABC News on Friday that she has been having conversations about running in the special election. 

ABC News has reached out to Darline Graham’s office, but did not immediately hear back.

Darline Graham, who lives in Lexington, South Carolina, has served since 2019 as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She also serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.

She also previously held roles with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the governor’s office said.

A special-election primary is scheduled for Aug. 11 to determine a Republican candidate for the Nov. 3 general election ballot — though a runoff could occur two weeks later if no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Miley Cyrus remembers ‘aunt’ Dolly Parton after her death at 80

Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton appear in this photo for 'Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas.' (Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)Miley Cyrus is remembering her honorary godmother, Dolly Parton, following the country music legend's death at age 80."The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share. Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts," Cyrus wrote in a social media post Wednesday, alongside a photo of Parton."What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis," Cyrus continued. "I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things."Parton died on Tuesday in Nashville after a "brief battle" with cancer, according to her publicist.Parton told ABC News' Robin Roberts in a 2009 interview that she was asked to be Cyrus' godmother by the singer's father, Billy Ray Cyrus."I'm her honorary godmother. I've known her since she was a baby," Parton said. "Her father's a friend of mine, and when she was born, he said, 'You just have to be her godmother,' and I said, 'I accept.' We never did do a big ceremony, but I'm so proud of her, love her and she's just like one of my own."Years later, Parton opened up about her bond with Miley Cyrus in the ABC News special Dolly Parton: From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll, saying she loved her "like a child."Parton also praised Miley Cyrus as "talented in every way" and spoke about the connection they shared when performing together."I know where she's going and she knows where I'm going," Parton said. "So out of that really comes a really magical thing sometimes."The two singers collaborated several times over the years, including on a cover of Miley Cyrus' 2013 hit "Wrecking Ball" for Parton's 2023 album, Rockstar.After the album's release, Miley Cyrus shared a video celebrating Parton as she drove past a billboard of her on Hollywood Boulevard."I love you so much Aunt Dolly, congratulations on your rock 'n' roll album," Miley Cyrus said in the video. "I love you."The pair also reunited musically earlier this year, when Miley Cyrus joined Parton, Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah and Lainey Wilson for a new version of Parton's "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" in celebration of Parton's 80th birthday.Miley Cyrus — who featured Parton on several episodes of her show Hannah Montana — has described Parton as a maternal figure in her life."Dolly's been like a mother to me," Miley Cyrus told W Magazine in 2024 while recalling a Mother's Day message she received from Parton that read, "How much do I love you? As much as my heart can hold and as far as my arms can reach."More recently, in March, Miley Cyrus told Good Morning America that one of the biggest lessons she learned from Parton was "to start promoting something before it's real."Billy Ray Cyrus paid tribute to Parton on his own after her death, recalling their decadeslong friendship in a post on Instagram.Billy Ray Cyrus said Parton had recently sent him a message telling him she loved him "with her whole heart.""I will always love her in the same way … with my whole heart … and I always will," he wrote.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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