( CNN ) -- The wife of Singapore 's first prime minister died at her home Saturday at the age of 89 . A private funeral for Kwa Geok Choo will take place next Wednesday , the prime minister 's office said in a statement . She was married to Lee Kuan Yew , who is widely credited with molding Singapore into one of the world 's most prosperous countries . Lee , 87 , was the founding father of the island nation . His son , Lee Hsien Loong , is now Singapore 's prime minister -- the country 's third since it gained independence from Malaysia in 1965 . The elder Lee was admitted to the Singapore General Hospital earlier this week for a chest infection .
Kwa Geok Choo died at home at the age of 89 . Hide Caption 8 of 127 Photos:Photos: People we lost in 2014