Steve Jobs Funeral Date: Ceremony to be Held Friday

The funeral for Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is taking place Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Characterized as a small, private ceremony, the family of Jobs is holding his funeral Friday, two days after he passed away after battling an undisclosed illness, The Wall Street Journal reported. Jobs had fought back a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, and he had endured a liver transplant in 2009. Despite disintegrating health, he remained chief executive of the company until his Aug. 24, 2011, resignation.

Apple said no public services are planned.

In a letter to Apple's employees on Wednesday, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said that the company is planning a celebration of Steve's extraordinary life for staff that will take place soon.

Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives, the company said in a statement. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.

Jobs founded his company in Cupertino, Calif., in 1976, when he was just 21 years old. By age 25, he was a multimillionaire, making his debut on the cover of Time Magazine at 26. He was ousted at age 30 but returned in 1996, with the company struggling. The next year, he became CEO, and over the next 15 years, he presided over technologies that changed the way the world operates.

Under his leadership, the company developed the iPod in 2001, widely credited for reviving the suffering music industry. Continuing to revolutionize technology, Apple released the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being, read a banner on the company's website. 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.