Look Back: Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's then Minister Mentor shares a light moment with his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, during the Labour Day Rally in 2006. (Source: AP)

Queen Elizabeth II shares a toast with Singapore's then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew during a state banquet at the Istana the Presidential palace in Singapore in this March 17, 2006, file photo. (Source: AP)

In this July 31, 1998, file photo, the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, shakes hands with the then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at the Istana or presidential palace in Singapore. (Source: AP)

Lee Kuan Yew, right, and his wife Kwa Geok Choo, second left, pose with the Japanese Emperor Hirohito and his wife Empress Nagako, in the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo, Japan in this October 15, 1968, file photo. (Source: AP)

Lee Kuan Yew waves thanking voters who elected him as a member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar Constituency in Singapore in this September 11, 1988, file photo. (Source: AP)

Singapore's then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew is hoisted by supporters after leading his People's Action Party to a landslide victory in the elections in Singapore on September 21, 1963. (Source: AP)

In this January 1968, file photo, the then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew speaking at a press conference after his arrival at Heathrow Airport in London. (Source: AP)

Lee, the founder of modern Singapore who was both feared for his authoritarian tactics and admired worldwide for turning the city-state into one of the world's richest nations while in power for 31 years. (Source: AP)

A quote attributed to Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew lies among earlier messages of support for him at the hospital where he passed away on Monday early morning. (Source: AP)

Singaporeans wept and world leaders paid tribute Monday as the Southeast Asian city-state mourned the death of its founding father Lee Kuan Yew. (Source: AP)

People write messages to be posted on condolence boards erected outside the Istana, the Presidential Palace on Monday after the demise of the founder father was known. (Source: AP)

The government announced that Lee "passed away peacefully" several hours before dawn at Singapore General Hospital. (Source: AP)

A vendor hands out a special edition of a local newspaper featuring the life of the late Lee Kuan Yew. (Source: AP)

In this file photo, Lee Kuan Yew shakes hands with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, as she arrived in Singapore during her tour of the Far East on February 18, 1972. (Source: AP)