Chesapeake says CEO McClendon is leaving

Chesapeake Energy , battling a governance crisis and financial strain, said Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon is leaving the company on April 1.

McClendon, 53, who co-founded the company in 1989, was stripped of his title as chairman last year and big shareholders took control of the U.S. oil and gas company's board in June.

(Reporting By Anna Driver; editing by Carol Bishopric)