TMZ posted this photo of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs Friday, setting the Internet aflame. Website Reddit claimed to expose it as a fake Saturday. (TMZ)
Two days after Steve Jobs announced his resignation as the CEO of Apple, gossip website TMZ published a photo purportedly showing Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, looking gaunt and gravely ill.
Internet outlets seized on the photo Friday. However, in a Saturday morning post, website Reddit claimed to expose the photograph as a doctored fraud.
Jobs’ health has long been a constant source of speculation. In addition to cancer, he survived a liver transplant in 2009.
According to Reuters, both Apple and TMZ declined to comment on the photo Friday. Celebrity photo website Pacific Coast News said it took the photo and sold it exclusively to TMZ.
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Comments (116)
PASSIONFORCHRIST
Aug. 27, 2011 at 4:00pmMaybe their trying to make sure everyone doesn’t dump the company, because we all know the only reason we invest in this company is because of HIM.
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old white guy
Aug. 28, 2011 at 8:15ammr jobs is dying of cancer. there are no survivors of pancreatic cancer, some minor remissions but no survivors.
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Mike403
Aug. 28, 2011 at 9:56amThere are no survivors of any cancer. In fact there are no survivors of anything.
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saranda
Aug. 28, 2011 at 2:54pmMike403. That really is a stupid and insensitive thing to poster in response to a comment about Pancreatic Cancer. There are reasons that Old White Guy said what he said, and you would likely be unable to understand them without being close to someone this type of cancer has taken.
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NDCORUP
Aug. 28, 2011 at 7:21pmSteve jobs looks a lot like I did 3 1/2 years ago, just before my liver transplant. Fat and happy now, but can still Reject.
Jobs has a couple of prayers from me for help, maybe they can transplant him again, if he wants it. It would be a Tough Decision. I believe I would decline.
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bamiller56
Aug. 29, 2011 at 8:22amActually, there are survivors of pancreatic cancer, and I am one of them. Mine was found very early, by accident, it was self-contained, had not spread to lymphatic system and my pancreas was removed. After a series of chemo and radiation, I am now into my 3rd year and have been told I can expect a full life. The reason most die is because there are no symptoms and it is usually not found until it is too late. Don’t write us all off.
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beans bullets and bandaids
Aug. 29, 2011 at 5:54pmBAMILLER, WOW! It is really fantastic to hear good news in the context of pancreatic cancer. Wow. I am glad you’re well.
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saranda
Aug. 29, 2011 at 6:49pm@bamiller56 = you have no idea how good it is to hear of stories like yours. Early detection is key and that is why most of my “tithing” goes to PanCancer research. I can direct where it goes and I know it is being used appropriately. I am active in my research and I give some to my church as I know they have overhead that I am comfortable with, but they do get it all.
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corbecket
Aug. 30, 2011 at 1:32am@bamiller56
Hang in there my friend. You may well end up in the five percent. My mother was not so lucky, but she survived for 2.5 years with a Whipple procedure (but no chemo etc.). A high school classmate had the same tumor (head of the pancreas), received a Whipple as well, and survived for another 15 years before passing from an unrelated heart attack. Beating pancreatic cancer really does happen.
Old White Guy may be speaking his mind regarding no survivors of pancreatic cancer, but he is uninformed, and obviously wrong. There are a statistically significant percent of folks that do pass the five year mark, and oncologists do rejoice with the patient in cases like yours.
Stick with it, and live your life. Like many, your perception changes with such life threatening events, Continuing on, though it may seem terribly improbable, is often viewed as a divine gift. I know my outlook on all things has changed after deadly events have very narrowly missed my carcass. To be a member of these small mortal minorities often leaves one with the feeling that we remain for a reason. Many actually find out why. Being in a separate category of those that were physically spared from death (for no obvious reason), I can begin to appreciate your situation.
I wish you well.
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orlandojon
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:25pmTotal fake, Jobs hasn’t been out of his trademark jeans and black polo in 20 years. No way he would be out in a parking lot wearing a dress.
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shirtsbyeric
Aug. 27, 2011 at 7:06pmMaybe it was his Sunday Dress.
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ILUVJESUS
Aug. 28, 2011 at 5:04pmDoes he wear dresses? I don’t understand thisphoto?
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AquaBuddha
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:23pmWow
I’m a bit surprised at the low life comments here by some of the posters. This man is an American icon like him or not. Have some class and respect. This isn’t Yahoo. Frankly I’m a bit embarrassed to be a member here after reading some of these posts.
Rufus
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:31pmI’ve read many of the posts and it looks like they are mostly very positive, wishing him luck, or hoping that the photo is fake. I don’t see your problem and embarrasment.
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StrongWesternbabeluvinherWesternMAN
Aug. 27, 2011 at 8:41pmgoing to try to post here without a bunch of computer tech stuff coming up in the face……yes I agree…who are we as decent human beings that we talk like this about another who really feels ill and is going through pain……….I have gone through treatments for cancer and survived but during those times of really feeling ill it is very hard…….I worked very hard in my life and acquired a few more ‘things’ that some of my family didn’t……..I will never forget hearing some ‘extended’ family (who never aquired anything) standing outside the hospital room saying some of the same things that are being said here……….I was thinking I wasn’t going to be on this earth any more and those people babbling were some of the very ones that called me when they were in trouble and I sent them help and told them it was not something they ever had to repay……I worked very hard to acquire but always knew it was just ‘stuff’……..I was always willing to give…..but when I was at my lowest…the very ones that I helped were the ones berating my life………so keep posting crap about a man who put his mind into something for you and knock him when he is ill……..but I will tell ya…….it really really hurts……..and you posters who berate……well I guess you never worked your butts off to build something and then give it and then be snuffed by the very ones that you cared to help out……well keep up the posts you lazy ingrates.
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Histrees
Aug. 28, 2011 at 12:23amMe too!
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conundrum2020
Aug. 28, 2011 at 12:52amStrongWesternbabeluvinherWesternMAN,
Please resist the temptation to post until you complete a literature course.
You confirm your low I.Q. with every post.
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UGrev
Aug. 28, 2011 at 1:07amI wish him well, from one human being to another; however, this man is a far cry from hospitable. In the past, he was widely known to be somewhat of a slave driver towards his developers. The almighty dollar drove him harder than anything else. He made his money off the blood and sweat of people whom he whipped. My sympathies are limited.
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Doni609
Aug. 28, 2011 at 1:28pmThen Rufus you’re obviously a product of our public school system. Learn how to read or something!
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Redistributor
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:23pm@cat…there’s only one exception to that rule!
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Fina Biscotti
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:20pmphoto is a fake
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Free2speakRN
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:12pmIf he’s going to die, he’s going to die…just like the rest of us.
If the photo is a fake, so be it.
What real difference does it make?
I hope he turns to God, that is, if he hasn’t already. I don’t know his beliefs to comment.
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timej31
Aug. 27, 2011 at 2:14pmBut what about the iPhone 5? Will it be out on time?
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abbygirl1994
Aug. 27, 2011 at 1:50pmIf he is not gravely ill, then he needs to come forward so people can see for themselves!! This sort of news really doesn’t cut it for me, not when our country is spinning out of control.. I mean what is one man in a sea of men, women, children.. To worry about one CEO when millions may be wandering our streets because of hunger, joblessness, with rioting a threat.. yep, that is more on my mind than one little man.. Don’t mean to be harsh.. but really this country has gone to hell in a hand basket thanks to some very unscrupolous (sp) men and women!!
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Wornout
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:13pmIt is really no one’s business if he is gravely ill, or healthy as a spring lamb. He is entitled to his privacy like everyone else. He is no longer the head of Apple and his health does not directly affect the company. Why should he have to come out and show anyone anything? And I agree with you one hundred percent, this is a non issue.
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localwildlife
Aug. 29, 2011 at 9:04amHe DOES’NT NEED to do anything. Since when do we have a right to know? It is HIS HEALTH and he has a right to his privacy. This photo is morbid and so is all the curiosity.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN IS MY IDOL
Aug. 27, 2011 at 1:38pmI just looked at the TMZ link through drudge and thought why is he wearing a dress, and on the bottom left of his ‘dress’ (our right), it looks very fake.
Doesn’t surprise me, really.
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squeaker
Aug. 27, 2011 at 3:19pmMaybe he came out of the closet too…???
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mossbrain
Aug. 27, 2011 at 12:29pmHe needs to add some protein to his diet and hit the gym and lift some weights. With all his money you’d think he’d get a fitness trainer to help him with his physique.
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Cat
Aug. 27, 2011 at 12:01pmIn the words of a once great man, “No one gets out alive.”
Love you Dad, and thanks.
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SIXFRIGATES
Aug. 27, 2011 at 11:37amBased on how skinny he looked at his last public Apple press conference, I am calling the photos real. Go back and look at how thin he was and you will see that Reddit is foolish.
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MBA
Aug. 27, 2011 at 11:26amMr. Jobs probably is fighting a difficult health battle right now. He’s done everything he can but sometimes disease wins. Whatever his condition is at this moment it would be nice (be we know impossible) for the liberal media to leave him alone so he can put his energy into his fight rather than having to worry about liberal busybodies. Best wishes Mr. Jobs..
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manny5717
Aug. 27, 2011 at 12:01pmI pray that Mr Jobs prays and ask the Lord for forgiveness, so that he may spend eternity in heaven..
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GiGi80
Aug. 27, 2011 at 12:25pmErrrrrr . . . Is the Blaze part of the “liberal media”? Because the editorial staff of the Blaze made a decision to run the picture and an accompanying story.
It is interesting to note that Blaze readers criticize the “liberal media” or the “Mainstream Media” while completely disregarding the fact that most of the content on the site comes from AP, Huffington Post, Reuters, NYT, Newseek and other “MSM” outlets.
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KickinBack
Aug. 27, 2011 at 12:50pm@gigi80
TMZ ran the photo, and that’s a tabloid site, not MSM. Though there’s really not much difference between them.
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GiGi80
Aug. 27, 2011 at 4:00pm@kickinback
I KNOW what TMZ is! But the Blaze picked up the story from the tabloid and printed the photo (unlike Reuters and other NEWS sites that had the good grace not to). You made my point. Also — the above article sates that Reddit claims the photo is fake. Reddit does not claim anything — it is an aggregator. A POSTER on Reddit claims the photo is fake.
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crackerone
Aug. 27, 2011 at 4:19pmI saw that photo on Drudge 2 days ago. If it is a fake, lot’s of people were duped, It is a story. And I think he looks good in a dress.
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piper60
Aug. 27, 2011 at 11:08amI don’t know if the picture is fake or not, but I pray that when the end comes, it will be peaceful.
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BlazingBlaze
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:59amThat man with him is holding him up. Jobs is obviously VERY sick. If someone added a few touches to the picture, who knows what they were thinking. I lost my mother to pancreatic cancer in 2006, and it a cancer that is relentless and devastating. I do not believe there is any “surviving” it. It may take longer than the 9 weeks it took to kill my mother, but I believe it will kill him sooner rather than later.
I wish they could find the photographer and ask him why he felt it was necessary to touch up the picture. Steve Jobs is frail, gaunt, and having to be held up by the other man. The picture speaks for itself without any retouching.
You are in my prayers, Steve.
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crackerone
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:52amThey stuck his head on a picture of Janet Reno!
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patbarker
Aug. 27, 2011 at 1:20pm“hotter than a jalapeno”
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el thinko
Aug. 28, 2011 at 2:06pmdon’t wanna see the weino
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tckid17
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:50amThis is possibly a photo of an Obama delegate at the 2012 Democratic Carcas.
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kennyg933
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:56amThis same thing happened in ET. When the mother ship gets closer, the reanimation of nearby, seemingly dead foliage will signal the rejuvination of Steve Jobs. We’ve seen this before. Then Steve Jobs will get into my bicycle basket and my friends and I will be empowered by a special ap that, once downloaded, will enable wingless bicycle flight. What CAN’T Apple do?
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loriann12
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:46amWhat is that he’s wearing, a dress or skirt? Why would anyone 1) take a picture of someone so ailing, or 2) fake it to make it look bad? Prayers if he is a cancer survivor, but his health is his private matter.
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GiGi80
Aug. 27, 2011 at 4:35pmRight — so why is the Blaze running the picture?
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SavingtheRepublic.com
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:46amWe know he is not well. We know he said he would step down when he could nolonger perform his duties. Even if this is a fake who wants to bet he does look this bad? Cancer is nasty and destructive… and the wrong guy got it!
What he did has transformed this country and the world, unlike the other guy who comes off like an opportunist. Sadly what Jobs did with Apple could not be done today. An Apple Computers today would never get off the ground no thanks to taxes, regs and the mountain of red tape now in place…. and people wonder why there is such high unemployment. The govt has done everything possible to keep the next Steve Jobs from coming to fruition.
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saranda
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:45amPancreatic Cancer is a terrible disease. about a 25% one year survival rate and close to 5% five year rate, this hard to diagnose cancer generally takes people quickly (my mother was less than three weeks from diagnosis to passing). Steve Jobs has done something right to beat it as long as he has, I hope he is working towards a treatment and cure for Pancan.
Get well Mr. Jobs and become an instrument for beating this evil disease.
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Look4DBigPicture
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:44amPancreatic cancer is a very cruel disease which ravishes the body. Fake or not, the man is very ill. Steve, you’re in my prayers.
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mrsmileyface
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:44amThis photo is faker than a 3 dollar bill. TMZ should retract it because its a crappy fake for one and its morally dishonest for second. On the subject of crappy fakes…the idiot who did try to pass this one off should be fired, fined, and jailed on the grounds of absoulte stupidity.
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gr8photoman
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:41amI hope this really isn’t him, and I pray he beats his odds.
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capitalismrocks
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:39amStay well Steve Jobs… you changed the world !
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Want our country back
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:24amPrayers go out to you Steve.
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YepImaConservative
Aug. 27, 2011 at 10:27amDitto
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mtnhimike
Aug. 27, 2011 at 11:19amI only hope that he has the Power of Prayer to carry him peacefully to be with the good Lord above and eternity of Peace.
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