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"Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56. The mastermind behind the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes, who co-founded the company in 1976 in his parents&amp;#039; garage alongside childhood friend Steve Wozniak, Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004. He received a liver transplant in 2009.  &amp;gt; Steve Jobs 1955-2011: The Apple CEO throughout the years - Video &amp;gt; Steve Jobs 1955-2011: Reactions &amp;gt; Steve Jobs 1955-2011: Obituary A statement on the Apple company website read: &amp;quot;Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. &amp;quot;Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.&amp;quot;  Jobs&amp;#039;s family released a statement saying: &amp;quot;Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family. In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family.  &amp;quot;We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve&amp;#039;s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories. &amp;quot;We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; Steve Jobs: Apple&amp;#039;s leader in his own words &amp;gt; Steve Jobs Pixar tribute: &amp;quot;An extraordinary visionary, a dear friend&amp;quot; Jobs stepped down as Apple&amp;#039;s chief executive in August of this year. In his letter of resignation, Jobs wrote: &amp;quot;I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple&amp;#039;s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.&amp;quot;  He was famously guarded about his private life, never revealing any details when he took medical leave from Apple. In 2009, the company&amp;#039;s board of directors encouraged him to disclose more information about his health as a &amp;quot;fiduciary issue&amp;quot;. Industry insider Tim Bajarin said of Jobs: &amp;quot;He&amp;#039;s never been a media person. He&amp;#039;s granted interviews in the context of product launches, when it benefits Apple, but you never see him talk about himself.&amp;quot; Jobs, who appeared on the cover of Time magazine aged only 26, leaves behind wife Laurene, who he married in a Buddhist ceremony in 1991, their children Reed, Erin and Eve, daughter Lisa with painter Chrisann Brennan and his sister, novelist Mona Simpson.  His Apple successor Tim Cook made his first public appearance at the launch of the latest iPhone earlier this week. &amp;gt; Steve Jobs, Apple leader: US media reactions to his death &amp;gt; Steve Jobs 1955-2011: Apple co-founder&amp;#039;s biggest moments in pictures &amp;gt; Steve Jobs 1955-2011: Apple pays tribute to its co-founder - pictures Watch Steve Jobs&amp;#039;s commencement address to graduating students at Stanford University below:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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