Steve Jobs' Sister Reveals His Final Words

UPDATE: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."

Those were the final words Steve Jobs ever spoke, according to his sister, Mona Simpson."Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them," Simpson said in her eulogy for her brother that she delivered at his funeral earlier this month, which was published by the New York Times over the weekend. "Steve’s final words were: OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW."

You can read the full eulogy here.

UPDATE Tuesday, Oct. 11: Steve Jobs died at home of respiratory arrest resulting from pancreatic cancer that had spread to other organs, according to a copy of his death certificate that was made public late Monday and obtained by the Associated Press and Bloomberg.

Jobs passed away late Wednesday, although neither Apple nor his family specified the cause of death at the time. Jobs had been battling pancreatic cancer since 2004.

The death certificate, released by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, said that the Apple icon had a metastatic pancreas neuroendocrine tumor for the past five years, and listed his immediate cause of death as respiratory arrest. He died Wednesday at 3 p.m. and was buried Friday.

Bloomberg notes that Job's occupation was listed as "entrepreneur" in the "high tech" business.

Apple will hold an employee event on Oct. 19 at the company's Cupertino campus to honor Jobs and his legacy, although the company says it has no plans for a public event.

UPDATE Friday, Oct. 7: Friends and family were planning on saying their goodbyes to Steve Jobs on Friday at a "small private" funeral for the Apple icon, an unnamed source told the Wall Street Journal.

The person would not say where or when the event was taking place, "citing respect for Mr. Jobs and his family's privacy," according to the paper. A spokeswoman for the Palo Alto police department, however, told Fox News that she believes the funeral is being held outside of the city of Palo Alto, which Jobs called home.

A company spokesman declined to comment on the reports, stressing only that there are no public services planned.

The event comes two days after the Apple chairman and co-founder passed away. Immediately after news broke of his death, new Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees that a "celebration of Steve's extraordinary life" would take place soon, although there has been no further word on what shape that event will take.

UPDATE Thursday, Oct. 6: Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs soared to the top of best-seller lists shortly after news broke of the Apple co-founder's death, and its publisher quickly announced that the release date would be moved up nearly a month.

As of mid-morning Thursday, "Steve Jobs" was No. 1 on Amazon.com and No. 3 on Barnes & Nobel's best-selling list.

The Associated Press reports that its publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced Thursday that the new release date for the 656-page book would be Oct. 24, up from a planned release of Nov. 21.

The AP with more: "Isaacson's book includes extensive interviews with the Apple co-founder, who rarely discussed his private life. Isaacson has written best-selling biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin."

POST Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 8:04 p.m.: Steve Jobs is dead.

The Apple chairman and co-founder passed away Wednesday at the age of 56, the company and his family said in short statements. Neither specified the cause of death, although Jobs had been battling pancreatic cancer and had received a liver transplant several years ago.

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," the company said in a short statement posted to its 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."

His family said that he "died peacefully” surrounded by his family.

"In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family," they said in a statement. "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."

Apple is asking people who are looking to share their thoughts and condolences to email them to: rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Here's the lede from the San Francisco Chronicle's obit: "Steve Jobs, the iconic Apple co-founder who reshaped the world's digital landscape, died Wednesday, ending a storied career that saw him ousted from the company he co-founded only to return from exile to lead Apple to greater glory with the iPod, iPhone and iPad."

Microsoft founder, and one-time Jobs rival, Bill Gates was among those who were quick to mourn Jobs's passing.

"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come," Gates said in a statement. "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."

Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple in late August, handing over the reins to the company he helped build to Tim Cook. The move left many wondering about Jobs's condition, worries that were only amplified when the former CEO was not on hand this week for the release of the latest iPhone.

Writing to employees after Jobs's death, Cook said (via Ars Technica): "No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much."

Below you can watch the commencement speech that Jobs delivered at Stanford University in 2005, roughly a year after he was diagnosed with cancer, in which he had this to say about life and death: "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."