Ted Turner, the CNN founder who changed television news by launching the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel, died Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Florida. He was 87. Turner Enterprises confirmed the death on behalf of his family.
Turner had Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease, diagnosed in 2018. He was briefly hospitalized for pneumonia earlier this year before spending time at a rehabilitation facility. Turner left behind five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
CNN went on the air June 1, 1980, giving Americans continuous access to news beyond brief evening broadcasts. Early critics called it the “Chicken Noodle Network,” but the channel gained credibility during the 1991 Persian Gulf War as the only broadcaster reporting live from Baghdad. Time magazine named Turner its Man of the Year that year.
Mark Thompson, CNN’s chairman and chief executive, said after Turner’s death that he was a fearless leader whose spirit would permanently define the network. Turner regarded CNN as the greatest achievement of his life.
Ted Turner: CNN founder who started with billboards
Turner was born in Cincinnati on Nov. 19, 1938. He took over his father’s billboard company at 24 after his father died by suicide in 1963.
He later acquired a struggling Atlanta television station in 1970, then used satellite technology in 1976 to create cable television’s first national superstation, later branded as TBS. He purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and the Atlanta Hawks in 1977 to secure sports programming.
Ted Turner, founder of CNN, Cartoon Network, TNT and more has passed away at the age of 87. pic.twitter.com/Ri9d52wNgR
— ToonHive (@ToonHive) May 6, 2026
He added CNN Headline News in 1982 and CNN International in 1985. He acquired MGM’s film library in 1985 for $1.5 billion, which later gave rise to Turner Classic Movies. He bought the Hanna-Barbera cartoon catalog and launched the Cartoon Network in 1992.
In 1996, Turner sold his broadcasting holdings to Time Warner for approximately $7.5 billion. A subsequent merger with AOL in 2001 produced massive losses and is considered one of the worst corporate deals in history. Turner resigned as vice-chairman in 2003 and later announced he would not seek reelection to the board of directors.
From the America’s Cup to conservation and global giving
Away from business, Turner won the America’s Cup sailing competition in 1977. He became one of the largest private landowners in the United States, holding nearly 2 million acres, and built the world’s largest private bison herd. He also created the Captain Planet animated series focused on environmental education.
As founder of CNN, Ted Turner reshaped not just media but also philanthropy and conservation. He donated $1 billion to the United Nations in 1997 and founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
He married actress Jane Fonda in 1991; the couple divorced in 2001. Known as the “Mouth of the South” for his direct public style, Turner left a lasting mark on American culture.
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