Apple's Steve Jobs Is Dead (VIDEO)

Steve Jobs is dead at 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Apple announced his death in a statement saying: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. He leaves behind Laurene, his wife and four children.

"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."

The Telegraph is running a live blog on his passing.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Jobs knew the end was near weeks ago.

US President Barack Obama released a statement saying "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," Obama wrote. "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 billionaire co-founder of Apple had been fighting off pancreatic cancer and received a liver transplant in 2009. He stepped down from his role as CEO of Apple in August, handing the reins to Tim Cook, who presented Apple's latest products on Tuesday.

Jobs family released a statement saying: 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.

Jobs will be best remembered for a series of electronic products that made computers, and high-end mobile phones, part of every day life for ordinary people. Beginning with the beige box Apple II in 1977, he brought design aesthetics and compact computing to home with the brightly coloured iMacs, revolutionised telephony with the iPhone, changed the music industry forever with iTunes and did away with the keyboard with the introduction of the iPad.

Take a lighhearted look back at a gallery of Steve Jobs iconic style over the years.

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook honours Steve Jobs, saying “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.”

Steve Jobs speaks on death: