Former Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., died Thursday at the age of 84, his family announced. Kyl was first sworn into the Senate in 1995, serving until his retirement in 2013. He later returned to the Senate in 2018 to fill the seat vacated by the death of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Kyl had announced in December 2025 that he would step away from public life following a diagnosis of a neurological disease that led to dementia. Before his time in the Senate, Kyl represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995.
Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who appointed Kyl to McCain's seat in 2018, paid tribute to the former senator on X, formerly Twitter. "Jon Kyl gave Arizona nearly three decades of principled, thoughtful leadership — and he gave me something just as valuable: his mentorship and friendship. I'll miss him deeply. Rest in peace, Senator Kyl," Ducey posted.
Former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who served in the Senate alongside Kyl, also shared his condolences. "Arizona has lost a giant. Jon Kyl was one of the most diligent and effective public servants Arizona has ever had. I was honored to follow him in the U.S. Senate, where his example of seriousness, integrity and devotion to public service was known to all. Cheryl and I send our deepest condolences to Caryll and the entire Kyl family," Flake wrote on X.