Singapore former PM Lee Kuan Yew passes away

File photo of Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew taken on March 20, 2013. The country's Prime Minister's Office said on Wednesday that Lee remains critically ill in the ICU and has deteriorated further. [Photo/Xinhua]

Health condition

In a book published in 2013, the Asian statesman said he feels weaker by the day and wants a quick death.

The longtime fitness buff has visibly slowed since his wife of 63 years Kwa Geok Choo died in 2010.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) first announced Lee Kuan Yew was in hospital because of sever pneumonia in a statement on Feb. 21, and updated on Feb. 26 saying that he was still warded.

A statement on Feb. 28 said Lee's condition had improved slightly, and he was continuing with his antibiotics. The statement noted he remained sedated and on mechanical ventilation at the intensive care unit in Singapore General Hospital.

The PMO released statements on March 6 and on March 13 respectively, saying Lee Kuan Yew's condition remained largely unchanged, and he continued to be watched closely by his doctors.

Lee's condition worsened due to an infection and remained critially ill in the ICU, said the PMO on March 18.