Updated 7 October 2011

Fortune magazine named him CEO of the Decade. The company he co-founded, was kicked out of, then returned to rescue from the brink of obscurity was named Marketer of the Decade. It is now worth more than the entire economy of Singapore.

On Thursday morning (local time) Apple announced that co-founder, chairman and former CEO, Steve Jobs, had passed away.

Apple’s board of directors issued the following statement:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.

Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.

His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Before he stepped down as CEO in August, saying he could no longer perform the job to the best of his abilities, Jobs had been the public face of Apple since returning to the company in 1997 and turning around its ailing fortunes.

When AdvertisingAge named Apple Marketer of the Decade, the leading picture was, of course, of Jobs. The contributions of those that worked with him should not be discounted, but the fact that the name and face of the man, and the name and logo of the company are so closely associated speaks volumes. He embodied Apple.

From AdAge:

Apple’s influence on business models across industries from music and computing to entertainment and advertising, along with its impact on popular culture, media and, of course, marketing, has been indelible

In naming Jobs CEO of the Decade, Fortune found a way to be even more concise:

The past decade in business belongs to Jobs.

No qualifications needed for that statement.

So it’s unsurprising that all eyes are on Wall Street to see the reaction to the news. Apple shares were trading at US$377.37 at last close, down a quarter of a percent overnight. That followed a drop of about $4 to $378.25 after the release of the iPhone 4S yesterday instead of a much-anticipated ‘iPhone 5′, but prior to the news of Jobs’ passing.

According to News Limited, Twitter crashed at 12:36 AEST yesterday, in part due to the sheer number of tributes to Jobs.

An official biography of Jobs was scheduled for release on November 21.

The Apple.com homepage is displaying a simple tribute to its leader: