Singapore Turns Out for Lee Kuan Yew’s Funeral

Tens of thousands of people—many dressed in somber black and white and carrying umbrellas against tropical downpours—lined the route of Mr. Lee’s cortege as a ceremonial gun carriage brought his flag-draped casket to his state funeral service at a university performance hall.

Many had gathered since dawn, weeping in silence as they waited for a final glimpse of Mr. Lee, who died at 91 on March 23. Widely regarded as Singapore’s guiding architect and an Asian elder statesman, he spent more than five decades in government, including 31 years as prime minister until 1990.

“One of Mr. Lee’s greatest legacies was preparing Singapore to continue beyond him,” his elder son and current leader, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said in an address to some 2,200 guests. “To those who seek Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s monument, Singaporeans can reply proudly: ‘Look around you.’”

Mr. Lee’s final send-off capped a week of mourning in this tiny country of 5.5 million people, of whom more than a quarter paid personal tributes at Parliament, where his remains were laid in state, and at various memorial sites.

Singapore bade an emotional farewell Sunday to founding prime ministerLee Kuan Yew in a grandly staged funeral marked with pageantry unprecedented for this island city-state.

Tens of thousands of people—many dressed in somber black and white and carrying umbrellas against tropical downpours—lined the route of Mr. Lee’s cortege as a ceremonial gun carriage brought his flag-draped casket to his state funeral service at a university performance hall.

Many had gathered since dawn, weeping in silence as they waited for a final glimpse of Mr. Lee, who died at 91 on March 23. Widely regarded as Singapore’s guiding architect and an Asian elder statesman, he spent more than five decades in government, including 31 years as prime minister until 1990.

“One of Mr. Lee’s greatest legacies was preparing Singapore to continue beyond him,” his elder son and current leader, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said in an address to some 2,200 guests. “To those who seek Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s monument, Singaporeans can reply proudly: ‘Look around you.’”

Mr. Lee’s final send-off capped a week of mourning in this tiny country of 5.5 million people, of whom more than a quarter paid personal tributes at Parliament, where his remains were laid in state, and at various memorial sites.