According to Apple, former Apple CEO and company co-founder Steve Jobs has died. He was only 56. Jobs died from advanced pancreatic cancer, which he had been battling since 2004. (If you recall, his Bloomberg News obituary was accidentally released a few years ago.) Apple posted the following announcement on the company site:

Steve Jobs 1955-2011 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.

TechCrunch posted the statement from Apple's Board of Directors:

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. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Gov. Jerry Brown has released the following statement:

"Steve Jobs was a great California innovator who demonstrated what a totally independent and creative mind can accomplish. Few people have made such a powerful and elegant imprint on our lives. Anne and I wish to express our deepest sympathy to Steve’s wife, Laurene, and their entire family."

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom has this to say:

"I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was a true visionary who brought out the best in others. His legacy will live on, not only in technology and business but also in the way the world communicates. "My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Laurene, his family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time."

The New York Times' obituary takes a look at his legacy and how Apple grew:

Rarely has a major company and industry been so dominated by a single individual, and so successful. His influence went far beyond the iconic personal computers that were Apple’s principal product for its first 20 years. In the last decade, Apple has redefined the music business through the iPod, the cellphone business through the iPhone and the entertainment and media world through the iPad. Again and again, Mr. Jobs gambled that he knew what the customer would want, and again and again he was right. The early years of Apple long ago passed into legend: the two young hippie-ish founders, Mr. Jobs and Steve Wozniak; the introduction of the first Macintosh computer in 1984, which stretched the boundaries of what these devices could do; Mr. Jobs’s abrupt exit the next year in a power struggle. But it was his return to Apple in 1996 that started a winning streak that raised the company from the near dead to its current position. This summer, Apple briefly exceeded Exxon Mobil as the most valuable United States company.

If you would like to share your thoughts or condolences with Apple, please email [email protected]. And with that, we direct your attention to the following. Steve Jobs delivered the 2005 Stanford commencement speech, which featured this critical bit of wisdom on life, death and choices.

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"Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” - Steve Jobs

Rest in peace, Steve.