How old was Steve Jobs when he died
Steve Jobs was 56 years old when he died on October 5, 2011. He was born on February 24, 1955, and passed away at his home in Palo Alto, California, after a years-long battle with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. This note clarifies his age at death, confirms key dates, and frames his health timeline in factual, evergreen terms suitable for ongoing reference.
Steve Jobs biographical dates and health milestones
Below are the most relevant, widely reported dates in Jobs’s life related to his age and health. These points are drawn from authoritative biographies, obituaries, and public records and are stated as factual markers rather than medical commentary.
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | February 24, 1955 | Public biography and obituary |
| Date of death | October 5, 2pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer11 | Biographies and obituaries |
| Age at death | 56 years old | Calculated from above dates |
| First cancer diagnosis (pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor) | 2003 | Biographies and retrospective reports |
| Liver transplant | 2009 | Biographies and medical reports |
| Medical leave of absence from Apple | January 2009; June 2011 | Apple SEC filings and company statements |
| Stepped down as Apple CEO | August 24, 2011 | Apple corporate filing |
Key timeline in brief
- 1955: Born February 24.
- 2003: Diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer.
- 2009: Liver transplant; medical leave in January, returned in mid-2009.
- 2011: Took additional medical leave in June; resigned as Apple CEO on August 24; died October 5 at age 56.
Clarifying common points of confusion
Because Jobs's health issues spanned many years, people sometimes conflate the dates of his diagnoses, treatments, and public appearances. The progression of his condition was not publicly tracked in detail, and he took several extended leaves before ultimately resigning. As a status clarification: Jobs died at home in Palo Alto at age 56. His age at death is not in doubt among authoritative sources, though timelines of his health are necessarily inferred from limited public disclosures.
What his age at death tells us
At 56, Jobs died more than a decade after his initial cancer diagnosis and a few years after life-saving surgery and a liver transplant. His case underscores the long-term uncertainty that can accompany certain cancers, even when treatments achieve remission. For biographical reference, he ranks among prominent tech leaders who were in their mid-50s to early 50s at death, but his influence extends well beyond numeric comparisons.
Steve Jobs’s legacy at a glance
Jobs returned Apple from near-bankruptcy to become one of the world’s most valuable companies, launching iconic products that shaped personal computing, music, phones, and tablets. His age at death does not define his impact; rather, it frames a multi-decade arc from early innovation through health challenges to lasting influence on technology and design.
Reliable sourcing and transparency
Because this topic attracts speculative timelines and rumors, we emphasize verifiable public records: birth and death dates reported by authoritative biographies and contemporaneous obituaries, Apple’s official SEC filings concerning his CEO transition and medical leave, and statements from Apple at the time of his resignation. We do not assert details about his specific medical course beyond what has been disclosed by credible sources.