Ted Turner
Elegbede Abiodun
Ted Turner, the media mogul who founded CNN, died peacefully on Wednesday at age 87, being surrounded by family, according to Turner Enterprises.
Here are key facts about his life:
Contents
Launched 24-hour news television
Built a media network
Expanded through sports
Recognition and influence
Philanthropy and global causes
Environmental efforts
Health and later years
Early career path
Leadership and legacy
Personal life
Exit from business
Family
Launched 24-hour news television
Turner founded CNN on June 1, 1980, introducing the first 24-hour news channel and changing how audiences follow global events.
Built a media network
He moved from billboards into broadcasting, turning an Atlanta TV station into a national superstation in 1976. His business later grew to include CNN International, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network.
Expanded through sports
Turner invested in sports broadcasting and owned teams including the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks, using television to reach wider audiences.
Recognition and influence
In 1991, he was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for his role in shaping modern news coverage.
Philanthropy and global causes
He founded the United Nations Foundation and supported campaigns against nuclear weapons. In 1997, he pledged $1 billion to the United Nations.
Environmental efforts
Turner supported conservation work, including reintroducing bison in the United States, and backed environmental education through the “Captain Planet” cartoon.
Health and later years
In 2018, Turner revealed he had Lewy body dementia. He also recovered from a mild case of pneumonia in early 2025.
Early career path
He took over his father’s billboard company at 24 after his father’s death and later expanded into radio and television, despite limited experience in journalism.
“I worked until 7 o’clock, and when I got home the news was over,” he once said. “So I missed television news completely. And I figured there were lots of people like me.”
Leadership and legacy
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”
Personal life
Turner married actress Jane Fonda in 1991, and they later divorced after 10 years, though they remained close.
“I would never love anyone like I love him,” she said. “But I just couldn’t keep moving in his world, along the surface for the rest of my life. I knew that I would get to the end of my life and regret not doing the things that I also needed to do for me.”
Exit from business
He sold his company to Time Warner in 1996 and later stepped away following its merger with AOL.
Reflecting on his life, Turner once said: “I lost Jane. I lost my job here. I lost my fortune, most of it. Got a billion or two left. You can get by on that if you economize.”
Family
He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
