CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies at 87

Ted Turner, the visionary founder of CNN, has passed away at the age of 87. He revolutionized the media landscape with 24-hour cable news and was a prominent figure in business and environmentalism.

Thu May 07 2026

Media Mogul Ted Turner Passes Away

Ted Turner, the founder of CNN and a media mogul, has died at the age of 87. He transformed the media industry with his visionary concept of 24-hour cable news, offering viewers a front-row seat to history as it unfolded. Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News, paid tribute to Turner, acknowledging his indelible mark on the media landscape and calling him a "great American and friend."

Turner began his entrepreneurial journey at just nine years old, earning money cutting grass around billboards owned by his family's advertising company. At 24, he took over the business after his alcoholic father’s death. He later purchased a second-rate TV station in Atlanta, putting it on satellite to create the first so-called superstation, which evolved into Turner Broadcasting System. He also bought the Atlanta Braves baseball team, turning them into a national sensation, and won the America's Cup yachting race in 1977.

Business Success and Philanthropy

On June 1, 1980, Turner launched CNN, fundamentally changing how Americans received their news. He described himself as a "progressive" rather than a "liberal," and his 1991 marriage to Jane Fonda seemed to seal his left-leaning credentials. His business ventures soared through the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the merger of Turner Broadcasting with Time Warner. He amassed enough net worth to donate a billion dollars to his beloved United Nations.

However, in 2001, the merger between Time Warner and AOL went sour, leading to the evaporation of 7 billion dollars of his net worth and his ouster from the company. Subsequently, Turner focused on new business ventures such as his restaurant chain, energy alternatives, and environmentalism. He was one of the largest private landowners in America, leaving behind over 2 million acres for conservation. In September 2018, he announced his diagnosis with Lewy body dementia. Throughout his life, Turner adhered to his father's motto: to set goals so high they could never possibly be achieved in a lifetime, and to give help where help is needed most.