Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dead at 56

(Reuters) Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died today at the age of 56, after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer and other health issues.

Steve Jobs

Jobs’ death was announced by Apple in a statement late today.

The Silicon Valley icon who gave the world the iPod and the iPhone resigned as CEO of the world’s largest technology corporation in August, handing the reins to current chief executive Tim Cook.

Jobs, who fought a rare form of pancreatic cancer, was deemed the heart and soul of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil as the most valuable in America.