US sending Bill Clinton for Lee Kuan Yew's funeral

People take pictures and shout "Thank you, Mr Lee!" as the coffin of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew leaves Istana to lie in state at parliament, March 25, 2015. [Photo/IC]

WASHINGTON - The United States will send former President Bill Clinton to Singapore for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the White House said on Wednesday.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former national security adviser Thomas Donilon are also among the five-member delegation announced by President Barack Obama, the White House said in a statement.

Lee, Singapore's founding father, served as the country's premier from 1959 to 1990 and then as a senior minister and minister mentor. He died on Monday at the age of 91.

In a statement issued that day, Obama lauded Lee as "a true giant of history who will be remembered for generations to come as the father of modern Singapore and as one of the great strategists of Asian affairs."

Lee's state funeral is slated for this coming Sunday.