Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has died at 56, the company announced Wednesday.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," Apple said in a brief statement.
"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
He had stepped down from Apple in late August to deal with the effects of an unspecified illness.
Jobs had been treated earlier from pancreatic cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2004.
Jobs's storied career followed a remarkable series of twists and turns ? from a meteoric rise in the late 1970s and '80s to a bleak nadir in the '90s followed by his ascent to the status of tech guru.
Described by some as arrogant, temperamental and brutally honest about employee performance, Jobs was known and respected for his business acumen and an almost mystical ability to predict where tech trends are headed.
Taken from here.
