( CNN ) The health of Singapore 's first prime minister , Lee Kuan Yew , who has been in hospital with pneumonia since February 5 , has deteriorated further , the government said Wednesday . The Prime Minister 's office had said Tuesday that Lee , 91 , who is on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of Singapore General Hospital , had an infection and was being treated with antibiotics . `` Mr Lee Kuan Yew remains critically ill in the ICU and has deteriorated further , '' the office said in its latest update . Later Wednesday , a top government spokesman dismissed as a hoax a report that Singapore 's founding father had died . A message about Lee 's supposed demise , purporting to be from the current Prime Minister , had circulated online . `` We have reported this to the police and they are investigating this hoax . Our website was not hacked , it was a doctored image , '' Farah Rahim , senior director for the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information said . Born in 1923 , Lee co-founded the city state in 1965 when it declared its independence from Malaysia and was its prime minister for more than three decades . Lee was succeeded as prime minister by Goh Chok Tong in 1990 , before Lee Kuan Yew 's son Lee Hsien Loong took power in August 2004 . The elder Lee has been credited with Singapore 's remarkable transformation from a colonial trading post to a prosperous financial center . However , he has also been a divisive figure , attracting criticism for stifling media freedom and for the harsh treatment of political opponents .
Health of Singapore 's first prime minister deteriorating . He has been treated in ICU for pneumonia since Tuesday . On 5 February , Singapore said he had contracted infection .