Apple CEO Tim Cook 'offered Steve Jobs his liver, but Jobs declined'

A new biography claims that Steve Jobs turned down a partial liver transplant from his successor

Steve Jobs’ children were not uber-geeks (Getty Images)

Steve Jobs is said to have declined to accept a partial liver transplant from Tim Cook according to a new biography.

Upcoming book Becoming Steve Jobs, by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, says that Jobs "cut [Cook] off" when he offered to donate part of his liver to him.

An excerpt of the book, published by Fast Company, tells of how Cook discovered that the two shared a rare blood type, but Jobs still refused the operation, despite the fact his medical situation is what Cook is quoted as calling "terrible".

After Cook suggested the transplant in 2009, Jobs is reported as "yelling" and telling Cook: "'I'll never let you do that. I'll never do that."

Jobs had neuroendocrine cancer - a form of pancreatic cancer - for which he had an operation in 2004. He had this transplant in order to retain as much organ function as possible after his cancer began to spread.

Partial liver transplants involve a portion of the liver being taken from the donor. The ideal outcome is that liver will regenerate and grow in both the healthy donor and the patient.

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, introduces the Apple Watch in San Francisco on Monday (AP)

Jobs did eventually have a liver transplant from another donor later in 2009. Sadly, despite the operation, Jobs died two years later.

The Apple founder was incredibly frail towards the end of his life, and had to take sick leave from in January 2011. He died in October that year aged just 56.

The Independent has contacted Apple for comment.