Steve Jobs (1955-2011): Visionary and Creative Genius is no More

Apple founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has died, according to Apple.com. He was 56. The Apple Web site has been replaced with a photo of Jobs, his name and simply, '1955-2011.' Going through the portal there, Apple posted a brief message.

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

Born in San Francisco, the iconic Jobs dropped out of college before going to work for Atari, the video game manufacturer and then founding Apple in 1976 with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. There, he helped revolutionize the personal computer world with the Macintosh. However, the company had lost millions prior to that because of the failure of the Lisa computer. In part because of that failure, Jobs left Apple for nearly a decade in 1985. He then founded Pixar, the animated feature film production company, and helped them win five Academy Awards for films like Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3.

When he returned to Apple in 1997, the company was in dire financial straits and Jobs helped steer them through. When Apple launched the iPod in 2001, it started a string of technological successes that led Apple to being one of the most profitable companies in the world.

Jobs died only one day after the announcement of the iPhone 4S, the latest smartphone from Apple. He leaves behind a son and three daughters. Apple said he died of pancreatic cancer.