( CNN ) Lee Kuan Yew , the founding Prime Minister of Singapore , died early Monday morning , according to a statement released by the office of Singapore 's current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong . He was 91 . Lee passed away peacefully at Singapore General Hospital at 3:18 a.m. , the statement said . He had been in the hospital with pneumonia since February 5 . 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 . `` The first of our founding fathers is no more , '' Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong , who is Lee 's son , told the nation in a televised speech Monday . `` He fought for our independence , built a nation where there was none and made us proud to be Singaporeans , '' Lee said . Building up Singapore was his passion , the Prime Minister said , reading out a quote from his father : `` At the end of the day what have I got ? A successful Singapore . What have I given up ? My life . '' Lee 's body will lie in state at Parliament House from Wednesday through Saturday . A state funeral will be held Sunday . UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a condolence statement and said Lee `` helped Singapore to transition from a developing country to one of the most developed in the world , transforming it into a thriving international business hub . '' President Obama called Lee a visionary who helped him formulate U.S. policy of `` rebalancing to the Asia Pacific , '' when the two met in Singapore in 2009 . `` He was a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the father of modern Singapore and as one the great strategists of Asian affairs , '' the President said . U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also praised the advice he got from Lee , calling it `` the most valuable and insightful I have received . '' `` He was , of course , a uniquely astute analyst and observer of Asia , and it is largely through his life 's work that Singapore became one of the United States ' strongest strategic partners in the region , '' Kerry said . Former President George H. W. Bush said he respected Lee 's effective leadership of a `` wonderful , resilient and innovative country in ways that lifted living standards without indulging a culture of corruption . '' He added , `` Because of the example set by Lee Kuan Yew 's singular leadership , I am confident that the future will be bright for Singapore . '' China 's foreign ministry called Lee `` a uniquely influential Asian statesman , '' and Australia 's Prime Minister Tony Abbott said `` our region owes much to Lee Kuan Yew . '' Japan 's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indonesia 's foreign ministry also praised Lee 's leadership in their condolence notices . Singapore 's President Tony Tan Keng Yam called Lee the `` architect of our modern Republic , '' in a letter to Lee 's son , the current prime minister . `` Few have demonstrated such complete commitment to a cause greater than themselves , '' President Tan said .
Obama was the founding Prime Minister of Singapore . President Lee Kuan Yew called him a `` true giant of history ''