Steven Paul Jobs, the co-founder and chairman of Apple, died Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at the age of 56.

Jobs was born in San Francisco February 24, 1955 and grew up near Cupertino, Calif. After attending Reed College in Portland for one semester, Jobs took a job at Atari, designing circuit boards. In 1976, Jobs co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak.

Jobs and Wozniak started Apple with a few thousand dollars in a garage with a vision of changing the world. During the past 35 years, Apple and Jobs have changed the world, especially the personal computing industry, the music and film industries and the mobile phone industry. Officially Apple's purpose is to ""To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind."

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Pixar, NeXT and Beyond

Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985 over disagreements concerning vision, style and attitude. Jobs was written off "by many in the business and industry press as a flash in the pan".

After leaving Apple, Jobs and some of his Apple colleagues founded NeXT. NeXT was well-financed and its software and hardware were the best in the industry. Apple eventually bought the company.

Jobs was very successful in the film industry with Pixar, a small animation studio Jobs acquired in 1986. It went from obscurity to success after the release of Toy Story in 1995.

In late 1996, Jobs approached Apple to discuss the sale of NeXT. Apple needed a new operating system and NeXT had one, called NeXTSTEP.

In 1997 Jobs rejoined Apple as an advisor and within a few months became interim CEO. This turning point starts the modern Jobs legacy at Apple.

From 1997 until August 2011, Jobs was Apple’s CEO, presiding over what has been described as "the greatest second and third acts in business history". Apple introduced products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad.

In August 2004, Jobs revealed that he had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas. Jobs took a one month leave of absence to recover from surgery and returned to work in September 2004.

For the next seven years, Jobs would dodge rumors about his health. In June 2008, Jobs’s gaunt appearance at WWDC raised questions about his health. In January 2009, Jobs took a six-month leave of absence from Apple, to address “a hormone deficiency.” It was later revealed that Jobs had a liver transplant in April 2009. He returned to work in June 2009.

Jobs would continue to serve as Apple’s CEO until January 2011, when he took a medical leave of absence “to focus on his health.”

Jobs is survived by his wife Laurene and his family.

Steve Jobs' family released this statement:

"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. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories. 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."

Apple posted this statement on its website:

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. 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.

If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com"

Apple released the statement from current CEO Tim Cook which he sent to company employees:

"Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. 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.

We are planning a celebration of Steve's extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim"

The White House released a statement by President Barack Obama:

"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.

By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

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."