As the world mourns STEVE JOBS, The ENQUIRER can reveal how the Apple icon struggled to cope with the knowledge that he was adopted – and rejected pleas from his biological father for a deathbed reunion.
In an interview before Jobs died of pancreatic cancer at 56 on Oct. 5, Abdulfattah “John” Jandali described how his son ignored a string of heartfelt e-mails asking to make peace.
“When Steve became ill I thought he might contact me, but the call never came,” divulged John, 80, a vice president at the Boomtown Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nev.
John said that having just one coffee with Steve would have made him “a very happy man.”
Sadly, there would be no reunion with his famous genius son, who changed the way people live with his Apple computers, iPhones, iPads and other high-tech inventions.
Syrian-born John said he only learned his son’s identity five years ago, and revealed the heartbreaking story behind his adoption.
In 1954, John’s then-girlfriend Joanne Schieble became pregnant when the two were at the University of Wisconsin.
Joanne’s strict father forbade her to marry her Syrian boyfriend, and she moved to San Francisco to give birth without telling anyone, he said.
“Of course I was sad and angry, but I believed I had no choice,” John explained.
“Had it been my choice, I would have loved to have kept him.
“I had no say in who was going to adopt my son, but I knew Joanne had insisted that the Jobs family make sure he received a good education, so I was happy about that.
Looking back, John said: “If I could live my life again, I would do things entirely differently.”
But he steadfastly refused to try to contact his son until he learned Steve was ill and sent him e-mails.
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