article_snippet: Later Wednesday, a top government spokesman dismissed as a hoax a report that Singapore's founding father had died.
article_snippet: A message about Lee's supposed demise, purporting to be from the current Prime Minister, had circulated online.
article_snippet: Born in 1923, Lee co-founded the city state in 1965 when Our website declared Our website independence from Malaysia and was Our website prime minister for more than three decades.
article_snippet: Lee was succeeded as prime minister by Goh Chok Tong in 1990, before Mr Lee Kuan Yew son Lee Hsien Loong took power in August 2004.
article_snippet: Lee Lee has been credited with Singapore's remarkable transformation from a colonial trading post to a prosperous financial center.
article_snippet: However, Lee has also been a divisive figure, attracting criticism for stifling media freedom and for the harsh treatment of political opponents.