Other recipients will include Olympians Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe, former US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and actor Denzel Washington.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House said Friday, recognizing his accomplishments as the head of Apple and Pixar, as well as his leading role at the Walt Disney Company.

"His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries," the White House said in a statement.

President Joe Biden's recognition for Jobs marks the latest of accolades the former Apple CEO has received since he died of cancer in 2011. He received an Edison Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, honoring the "successful development and launch of game-changing new products and services" as well as his "lasting contribution to innovation." In 2013, Jobs received a Disney Legends Award for his contribution "to the Disney legacy" as Pixar's CEO and later a board member.

The announcement came the same week that marked the 15th anniversary of the launch of the original iPhone.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the US. Basketball star Michael Jordan received the honor in 2016, as did entertainment Oprah Winfrey in 2015 and feminist activist Gloria Steinem in 2013.

Others have received the award posthumously, including civil rights giant the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1977 and music legend Elvis Presley and baseball great Babe Ruth, both in 2018.

This year's presentation ceremony is set for July 7 at the White House. The 17 recipients will also include two Olympic gold medal winners, gymnastics icon Simone Biles and soccer star Megan Rapinoe, as well as former US Rep. and gun-safety advocate Gabrielle Giffords and actor Denzel Washington.