Steve Jobs, Apple Chairman, co-founder and former CEO, died Wednesday at the age of 56, after a long battle with cancer.
Apple Inc. later confirmed his death and released a brief statement:
“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. 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.”
Jobs had just resigned as Apple’s CEO in August.
His long battle with cancer began when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. He underwent a liver transplant in 2009, after taking a leave of absence, which would become the first of three.
“Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it,” read the statement. “The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.”
Many others shared Jobs’ popular commencement speech. Jobs delivered a commencement speech to the graduates of Stanford University in 2005, in which, he talks about his life from being adopted to getting fired from Apple and ultimately getting diagnosed with cancer and overcoming it.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that somehow the dots will connect in your future, you have to trust in something, karma whatever,” said Jobs while delivering the commencement speech at Stanford University. “Because believing that the dots will connect down the road, will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference.”
