Direct from the San Francisco Business Times Online:

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has told employees that he will be taking medical leave until June.

“During the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought,” Jobs wrote in a message to employees on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well,” Jobs said.

“In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June,” the message continued.

Jobs said Apple COO Tim Cook will handle Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) day-to-day operations, but that Jobs would continue to take part in “major strategic decisions.”

Jobs had skipped his traditional gig as keynote speaker at the Macworld expo in San Francisco last week. Just before the show, he revealed that he has a hormone deficiency that has caused him to lose weight. He had had a bout with pancreatic cancer in 2004 that was treated with surgery.

Godspeed for a healthy recovery!