SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Apr 22) paid tribute to Puan Noor Aishah, the wife of Singapore’s first President Yusof Ishak, after she died aged 91.

In a condolence letter to her three children, Mr Lee said he and his wife Ho Ching were deeply saddened by the death, praising Puan Noor Aishah as a "remarkable woman of her time".

"Puan Noor Aishah was the spouse of the head of state during the nation's tumultuous formative period," said Mr Lee.

"Singaporeans lived through racial riots, separation from Malaysia and the initial difficult years that followed.

"Together with Encik Yusof Ishak, she helped keep the people united and positive even when the odds were long and the outlook was sobering, making a lasting contribution to Singapore."

Born in Selangor in 1933, Puan Noor Aishah was 16 when she married Mr Yusof in 1949. They went on to have three children.

She was just 26 years old when her husband was sworn in as head of state in 1959.

Puan Noor Aishah "had to quickly adapt to the new responsibilities, and manage a large household while carrying out ceremonial and official duties", said Mr Lee.

"She even made the effort to brush up her English so that she could converse directly with visiting dignitaries.

"She did all this with grace and dignity," he added.

Mr Yusof served three terms before dying of heart failure in 1970.

However, his poor health in the last few years of his presidency led to his wife taking on more of his social responsibilities, such as presenting the National Day Awards.

Mr Lee said Puan Noor Aishah performed those roles "with poise and a quiet determination, because she too was committed to build a Singapore that was fair and just, regardless of race, language or religion".

"Her gentle spirit, sense of duty and grit left a deep impression on Singaporeans," he added.

Mr Lee said he was happy to have kept in touch with Puan Noor Aishah over the years, with one special memory taking place in 2013 when she attended Mr Lee’s - who was then Singapore prime minister - National Day Rally in which he announced the naming of a new mosque after her husband.

In 2017, Mr Lee launched a book about Puan Noor Aishah's life and in 2019, she visited the Istana for the building's 150th anniversary despite feeling unwell.

"We reminisced about the old times when I was a kid, about the same age as the three of you, and we would all play happily together on the Istana grounds," Mr Lee wrote to her three children.

"Puan Noor Aishah will be deeply missed. Ho Ching and I wish you and your family comfort in this time of grief," he said.