Dr Lee Wei Ling, Daughter of Lee Kuan Yew, Dies at 69 Years Old

Dr Lee Wei Ling, daughter of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has passed away at the age of 69.

Lee Wei Ling’s brother, Lee Hsien Yang, announced the news of his sister’s passing on Wednesday (9 October) through a Facebook post, stating that she had died at home on Wednesday morning.

In the post, Lee Hsien Yang quoted Lee Wei Ling’s eulogy at Lee Kuan Yew’s private funeral, where she said, “I can’t break down (and cry), I am a Hakka woman,” and expressed that he was not as strong as his sister.

Lee Wei Ling was also the sister of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In 2020, she publicly disclosed her medical condition on Facebook, revealing that she had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a condition with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s syndrome.

At the time, she pointed out that it was a serious brain disease that initially presents with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s syndrome, affecting limb movement, rapid eye movement, and balance, leading to frequent falls. As the disease progresses, patients experience difficulty swallowing, choking, pneumonia, and ultimately death.

In March of last year, Lee Hsien Yang had mentioned that Lee Wei Ling was “extremely unwell”.

The obituary mentioned that funeral details would be announced soon. Lee Hsien Yang also declined wreaths and urged the public to instead donate to charities such as the Canossa Mission Singapore, Parkinson Society Singapore, and Total Well-Being SG, as this would be more meaningful to Lee Wei Ling.

SM Lee Hsien Loong’s Post to His Sister

SM Lee Hsien Loong also posted a tribute on his social media.

He said that Wei Ling was a remarkable individual from an early age. Despite initial struggles adjusting to school, she quickly excelled academically, earning a double promotion and eventually winning a President’s Scholarship.

Her love for animals initially inspired her to become a veterinarian, but she ultimately pursued medicine, becoming a top student at the University of Singapore and specializing in pediatric neurology.

Throughout her life, Wei Ling maintained a fierce loyalty to friends and family, often serving as the go-to medical expert for her loved ones.

Her passion for justice and fairness led her to write a column in The Sunday Times, where she expressed her views trenchantly. She later published some of these pieces in a book titled A Hakka Woman’s Singapore Stories.