Jon Kyl, who spent nearly three decades in Congress and rose to become the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, died Wednesday night at the age of 84, his family announced Thursday.
Kyl died from complications of a neurological disorder, according to Gordon James, a communications professional and longtime friend of the Kyl family.
The former senator had stepped back from public life after announcing in December 2025 that he had been diagnosed with dementia.
His career in Congress spanned from the Reagan era through President Donald Trump’s first term, during which he witnessed his party undergo a dramatic political transformation.
Kyl served in the U.S. House from 1987 to 1995, before moving to the Senate, where he remained until 2013 and earned the position of minority whip among his Republican colleagues.
After retiring from elected office in 2013 and becoming a lobbyist, Kyl returned briefly to the Senate in 2018 when former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey appointed him to fill the vacancy left by the late Sen. John McCain.
Trump praised the appointment at the time, saying he was looking forward to working with “the extraordinary senator,” though Kyl stayed for less than four months before rejoining lobbying firm Covington and Burling.
Among his policy accomplishments, Kyl helped guide Brett Kavanaugh’s successful nomination to the Supreme Court and co-introduced the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 alongside Sen. Bob Dole, which recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and called for relocating the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv.
In 2004, Kyl authored landmark water rights legislation that, after a decades-long legal battle, secured enough water for the Gila River Indian Community to fill nearly 313,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools annually.
His family released a statement describing his life in terms of faith, service, and love for his home state: “We know that Jon belonged to all of Arizona, a state he loved and explored with vigor, curiosity and wonder.”
The family’s statement continued: “We are grateful, too, for his full and meaningful family life, guided by his faith and endowed with honor, warmth and love. We cherish his presence in our lives and are thankful he has joined his beloved Creator, Jesus Christ.”
Ducey, who considered Kyl a mentor, remembered him as a true statesman and a “workhorse” in a city full of “showhorses.”
Arizona Senate Republicans issued a sweeping tribute, stating: “Jon Kyl combined conservative conviction with an extraordinary command of policy and a deep respect for public service.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs also paid tribute, writing on X: “Arizonans are mourning the loss of former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl. Throughout his decades of public service in the House and Senate, he was a dedicated statesman who always cared deeply for our state.”
