I had no idea he was ill, either. I don't follow tech news as closely as I'd like, too. I just thought he was handing over the reigns because his was ready to move on to other things. But being very interested in animation and things related to Disney, PIXAR would not exist as it does today had it not been for Steve Job's patience with the company when it was costing him more money than he was putting in for years. It does kind of go to show what persistence and understanding of a certain principle can mean for an industry in general, and how it's better than the crash and burn philosophy of most big businesses. I've never been an Apple "fan", as it were, as I'm more impressed with technology in general, technical achievements when their specific, but I understand what he meant to the industry. So yes, he will be missed. More so by his family, I'm sure, but to a lesser degree by folks who admired, or at least appreciated his work. But like the loss of any great innovator, hopefully we build upon what we learned from them, and continue to better ourselves even after their gone.
