For months, speculation has run rampant across the Internet about the health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.  Was he sick?  Did he have cancer?  Why did he disappear at critical stages in the development of the latest iPhone?  Well, now the Wall Street Journal seems to have an explanation for all of this behavior, and plenty more (including his gaunt figure).

Apparently, Jobs received a liver transplant earlier this spring in a Tennessee hospital.  Apparently, although he plans to return later this month, Jobs is expected to have limited duties, possibly working part time, or even handing over more duties to COO Tim Cook.

Apparently, this liver transplant was the result of a slow-growing pancreatic tumor, which was initially discovered way back in 2004.

No real explanation as to why he received the liver transplant in Tennessee, though speculation abounds that it was due to the unusually short waiting period for donor organs in that state.

[via Wall Street Journal and Forbes]

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