Though he was one of the world's most famous CEOs, Steve Jobs has remained stubbornly private about his personal life, ignoring the media and the public's thirst for knowledge about his inner life ever since he co-founded Apple Computer in 1976.

"He's never been a media person," said industry analyst Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. "He's granted interviews in the context of product launches, when it benefits Apple, but you never see him talk about himself."

Bajarin said Jobs, 56, keeps a close cadre of friends, including John Lasseter of Pixar and Larry Ellison of Oracle, but beyond that, shares very little of his personal life with anyone.

But that personal life--given up at birth for adoption, romantic links with movie stars, a child out of wedlock--is full of intrigue for his fan base and Apple consumers.

Many fans know that Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell, have been married for over twenty years; the two were married in a small ceremony in Yosemite National Park in 1991, live in Woodside, California, and have three children: Reed Paul, Erin Sienna, and Eve.

Less well-known are the other members of his family. He has a daughter, Lisa Brennan Jobs, born in 1978 with his high school girlfriend, Chris Ann Brennan.

His sister is Mona Simpson, the acclaimed writer of books like "Anywhere But Here." Jobs did not meet Simpson until they were adults, when he was seeking information on his birth parents. Simpson later wrote a book based on their relationship. In the book, "A Regular Guy," Simpson shed light on Jobs's relationship with Brennan and his daughter, Lisa.

Fortune magazine reported that Jobs denied paternity of Lisa for years, at one point swearing in a court document that he was infertile and could not have children. According to the report, Chris Ann Brennan collected welfare for a time to support the child, until Jobs later acknowledged Lisa as his daughter.
The highlights of Jobs's career trajectory are well-known: a prodigy who dropped out of college and, at 21, started a computer company with his buddy Steve Wozniak in his parents' garage; a multimillionaire by 25; on the cover of Time magazine at 26; and thrown out of the company at age 30, in 1985.

During those years, though, Jobs also lived an exciting personal life. At Reed, Jobs became romantically involved with the singer Joan Baez, according to Elizabeth Holmes, a friend and classmate. In "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs," Holmes tells biographer Alan Deutschman that Jobs broke up with his serious girlfriend to "begin an affair with the charismatic singer-activist." Holmes confirmed these details to ABC News.

Deutschman's book also says Jobs went on a blind date with Diane Keaton; went out with Lisa Birnbach, author of "The Preppy Handbook;" and hand-delivered computers to celebrities he admired. Deutschman did not immediately return calls for comment.

Most recently, as Jobs battled pancreatic cancer, he shied away from disclosing health details to the public or to his employees. Fortune magazine reported that instead of surgery to remove the malignant tumor, Jobs instead treated his tumor with a special diet. The Apple Board of Directors pressured Jobs to get the surgery, and eventually he did.

As Jobs went through professional ups and downs--leaving Apple, working at NeXT and Pixar, and eventually returning to Apple--he kept his private life closely guarded. Now, as he steps down as CEO of Apple, the public will be watching this private man to see what comeback might be next.

10/05/2011 11:10:00 PM by Stz Anne Y