Jon Kyl, former Arizona senator, dies at 84

Former Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican who served in Congress for more than 25 years, died at 84 from complications related to a neurological disease, his family announced Thursday. He had disclosed a dementia diagnosis in late 2025 and said at the time he was withdrawing from public life.

“Our husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother, Jon Kyl, has passed away at the age of 84 due to complications from a neurological disease,” a statement from Kyl’s family said.

“We know that Jon belonged to all of Arizona, a state he loved and explored with vigor, curiosity, and wonder. Serving his state and nation in Congress was a privilege and responsibility he honored and respected. We are grateful for his full and meaningful public life,” the family statement said.

Kyl represented Arizona in the U.S. House from 1987 to 1995 before joining the Senate from 1995 to 2013, rising to minority whip during his final years in office. He was appointed by former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, to fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. John McCain in 2018 for the remaining months of McCain’s term.

Between his Senate stints, Kyl worked as a lobbyist. He guided Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination through the upper chamber and also lobbied on behalf of Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, following President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program during his first term.

“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 wrote on social media.

Kyl was married for over 50 years to his wife, Caryll, with whom he had two children, Kristine and John, and four grandchildren. The couple met during Kyl’s time in college. She later worked as a nurse to put Kyl through law school, and he graduated in 1966 and moved to Phoenix to pursue his law career.

Memorial services for Kyl will be announced later, the family said.