Reactions to Steve Jobs's death

Steve Jobs died yesterday, seven years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.

Whatever you think about Jobs and Apple, he was undeniably one of the most successful and influential figures in consumer technology.

Since reviving Apple - the company he founded and from which he was ousted in 1985 - with a series of innovative and stylish products, he's acquired an almost cult figure status, reflected in the reaction this morning from several high profile entertainers, business leaders, and political figures.

Here are some of them.

"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. 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."
Barack Obama - US President

"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honour. I will miss Steve immensely. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives."
Bill Gates – founder of Microsoft

“He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it."
Larry Page – CEO of Google

"He was dubbed a megalomaniac, but Steve Jobs often gambled on young, largely inexperienced talent to take Apple forward; Jony Ive and his team prove that such faith was spot on."
Sir James Dyson – founder of Dyson

"Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend."
Bob Iger – CEO of Disney

"Steve was my hero growing up. He not only gave me a lot of personal advice and encouragement, he showed all of us how innovation can change lives.I will miss him dearly, as will the world."
Jerry Yang – founder of Yahoo!

“VISIONARIES are always called CRAZY in the beginning. A VISIONARY sees things that everybody else says is IMPOSSIBLE, sees a World that People can't invision (sic) - MAC, IPOD, IPAD, IPHONE, ITUNES and PIXAR. I have nothing but Love for Mr. Jobs and Apple, they have always given me and my films L-O-V-E."
Spike Lee – director

“I don’t think there is a human being on the planet who has been as influential in the last 30 years on the way culture has developed. I don’t think there’s anybody who has proved quite so conclusively that passion and taste and belief are more important than a hard business head… In the same way that the motor car utterly altered the way people lived, so he turned computing into a really personal, enjoyable experience”
Stephen Fry (in August 2011 talking about Jobs’ decision to step down as CEO)– actor and author

“We've lost something we won't get back. The way I see it, though, the way people love products he put so much into creating means he brought a lot of life to the world."
Steve Wozniak – co-founder of Apple

“I knew Steve, we kind of grew our businesses up in the mid-eighties, he is going to be sadly missed. Those within the industry will understand that he really is an icon.”
Sir Alan Sugar – founder of Amstrad and entrepreneur

“Thank you for making incredible things, so we can live in the future.”
Will Wheaton (via Twitter)—author and nerd cheerleader

"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."
Mark Zuckerberg – founder and CEO of Facebook

"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."
Tim Cook – CEO of Apple

“I'm very sad to hear you left us, Steve. You were the only one keeping things interesting.”
Markus Persson (via twitter) – creator of Minecraft

"I want to express my deepest condolences at the passing of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of our industry and a true visionary. My heart goes out to his family, everyone at Apple and everyone who has been touched by his work."
Steve Ballmer – CEO of Microsoft

“I got one of the first Macs, and my relationship with computers fundamentally changed. In both of his incarnations at Apple, he was a visionary. He provided tools. His victories were based on imagination and courage."
Roger Ebert – film critic

"From the earliest days of Google, whenever Larry and I sought inspiration for vision and leadership, we needed to look no farther than Cupertino. Steve, your passion for excellence is felt by anyone who has ever touched an Apple product (including the macbook I am writing this on right now). And I have witnessed it in person the few times we have met. On behalf of all of us at Google and more broadly in technology, you will be missed very much. My condolences to family, friends, and colleagues at Apple."
Sergey Brin – founder of Google

"Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. Your genius will live on for generations to come…"
Neil Patrick Harris (via Twitter) – actor

"Steve lived the California Dream every day of his life and he changed the world and inspired all of us."
Arnold Schwarzenegger – former Governor of California

"Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply 'make it great.' He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar's DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time."
John Lasseter and Ed Catmull – CCO and president of Pixar