Ted Turner, the brash media mogul who founded CNN and helped create the 24-hour news cycle, died Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Florida. He was 87.
A family spokesman confirmed the death. Turner disclosed in 2018 that he had Lewy body dementia.
Turner launched CNN in 1980, creating the first 24-hour cable news channel and changing how major events were covered. The network later expanded with CNN Headline News and CNN International, and became a defining force during events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tiananmen Square crackdown and the 1991 Gulf War.
CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson called Turner “the presiding spirit of CNN” and said he was “intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch.”
Turner’s media empire extended far beyond news. He built the Atlanta station that became TBS, launched TNT, created Turner Classic Movies after buying MGM’s film library and founded Cartoon Network after acquiring Hanna-Barbera. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner.
He also owned the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks, gave the Braves national exposure on his cable channels and captained the yacht Courageous to victory in the 1977 America’s Cup.
Turner later became a major philanthropist and environmentalist. He pledged $1 billion to the United Nations, supported causes aimed at reducing weapons threats and bought vast tracts of land for conservation. He became one of the largest private landowners in the United States.
Turner was married three times, including to actress Jane Fonda. He is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.