Social media users have been sharing an essay about wealth and the meaning of life and claiming that it was the last words of the late Steve Jobs.
Examples can be seen here and here .
The essay begins with: “In other eyes, my life is the essence of success, but aside from work, I have a little joy, and in the end wealth is just a fact of life to which I am accustomed. At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering all my life, I realize that all my recognition and wealth that I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death.”
It continues with commentary on wealth and happiness. The post also includes “five undeniable facts” about life which advises to educate children to be happy, eat well, and more. These “five undeniable facts” have been circulating online for years and the oldest Reuters could find is dated December 2013. ( here )
Apple co-founder and former Chief Executive Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011 after battling with a rare pancreatic cancer for many years. ( here ) More information about his health can be found here .
Reuters could not find any evidence that Jobs said the words in the claim. A Google search of the essay reveals only social media posts and blogs.
The essay does not appear in his biography by Walter Isaacson. ( bit.ly/2HlMdTR ) It does not appear in news reports by major news organizations. If Jobs did give such long and detailed advice as his last words, it would most likely be recorded in his biography, books or in media reports.
Mona Simpson, the sister of Steve Jobs, gave a eulogy on October 16, 2011 at a memorial service at the Memorial Church of Stanford University. ( here )
At the very end, Simpson said: “Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times. 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. Steve’s final words were: OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.”
VERDICT
False. There is no evidence to show Steve Jobs said these words. His sister revealed that his final words were: “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.”
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.