Lee Kuan Yew,
GCMG,
CH,
SPMJ (born
Harry Lee Kuan Yew, 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), informally known by his initials
LKY, was the first
Prime Minister of
Singapore, governing for more than three decades from 1959 to 1990, including through Singapore's independence from
Malaysia in 1965. After Lee chose to step down as Prime Minister in 1990, Lee's successor,
Goh Chok Tong, appointed him as
Senior Minister, a post he held until 2004, when his elder son,
Lee Hsien Loong, became the nation's third prime minister. The elder Lee then assumed the advisory post of
Minister Mentor until he left the Cabinet in 2011. In total, Lee held successive ministerial positions for 56 years. He continued to serve his
Tanjong Pagar constituency for nearly 60 years as an elected
Member of Parliament until his death in 2015.