The story, marked “Hold for release – Do not use”, was sent in error to the news service’s thousands of corporate clients.

The stock obituary was published "momentarily" after a routine update by a reporter, and was "immediately deleted", Bloomberg said.

Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, but there is no suggestion that the news wire has recent news on his health. Most media organisations regularly update their pre-prepared obituaries of newsworthy figures.

The obituary contained blank spaces for Jobs’s age and cause of death to be inserted.

The opening sentence described Jobs as the man who “helped make personal computers as easy to use as telephones, changed the way animated films are made, persuaded consumers to tune into digital music and refashioned the mobile phone.”

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Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Culture-Watch • Media • Science & Technology • * Economics, Politics • Economy

1. William P. Sulik wrote: “This breaking news just in - Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!” August 28, 12:03 pm | [comment link]

2. Andrew717 wrote: Something like this happened several years ago, I believe with Joe DiMaggio.  He called the TV network himself to let them know he was hanging in there. August 28, 12:29 pm | [comment link]

3. Hakkatan wrote: If Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, and is still alive, he is walking miracle.  It is rare for anyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to survive even as long as a year, let alone five.  Most of those with that cancer die within a few months. August 28, 12:53 pm | [comment link]

4. libraryjim wrote: “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” —Mark Twain August 28, 1:35 pm | [comment link]

5. justinmartyr wrote: Man knoweth not his time—neither, it seems, does the press. August 28, 5:17 pm | [comment link]

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