Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, dies at 91

(Image credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

last updated 23 March 2015

Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of Singapore, died Monday at Singapore General Hospital. He was 91.

The news was announced by the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his son. Lee had been in the hospital for several weeks battling pneumonia. After a week of mourning, a state funeral will be held for Lee on March 29.

Lee was a co-founder of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed Singapore since 1959. He served as prime minister for 31 years, and oversaw Singapore's independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia in 1965. As the BBC reports, Lee was considered the "architect of Singapore's prosperity," as he turned the city-state into a wealthy and cosmopolitan center, but was also criticized for restricting freedom of speech and letting the courts target political opponents. Reuters has a look at his life and legacy in the video below. —Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.