Media visionary Ted Turner, the bold entrepreneur who revolutionized television journalism by creating CNN and establishing the round-the-clock news format, passed away Wednesday at 87 years old.
According to Turner Enterprises, which manages his extensive business portfolio, Turner died with family members by his side.
The Atlanta-based mogul built a media empire while pursuing diverse interests including professional sports ownership, competitive yacht racing, and massive land conservation efforts. Turner’s colorful character earned him memorable monikers including “Captain Outrageous” and “The Mouth of the South,” and he was known for his three marriages, including a high-profile union with actress Jane Fonda.
“If only I had a little humility, I’d be perfect,” he once boasted.
Turner’s health declined in recent years due to Lewy body dementia. After stepping away from media operations, he focused his energy on charitable giving.
Despite his flamboyant public persona often grabbing headlines, Turner possessed shrewd business instincts and appetite for risk. When he sold Turner Broadcasting System to Time Warner Inc. in 1996, he had transformed his inherited billboard operation into a worldwide media giant encompassing seven cable channels, three sports franchises, and successful film studios.
Former President Donald Trump responded to news of Turner’s passing by describing him as “one of the Greats of All Time.”
Turner’s most significant contribution to media was launching the Cable News Network in 1980, establishing the first continuous news channel. His own annoyance with limited news availability sparked the concept – he frequently worked beyond 8 p.m. when traditional network evening broadcasts had concluded.
He launched the venture during cable television’s infancy, even residing in an apartment above CNN’s Atlanta headquarters.
The network’s defining moment arrived during the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq. While other news organizations evacuated Baghdad, CNN remained to broadcast compelling footage of the conflict’s beginning.
Following his company’s sale to Time Warner, Turner expected to maintain influence over CNN but found himself gradually excluded, causing lasting disappointment.
“The mistake I made was losing control of the company,” he reflected later.
Born Robert Edward Turner III on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Turner relocated with his family to Savannah, Georgia, at age 9. After Brown University dismissed him, Turner moved to Atlanta to join his demanding father’s billboard enterprise, Turner Advertising.
Following his father’s 1963 suicide, Turner assumed company leadership. In 1970, he purchased a struggling UHF television station with limited Atlanta-area coverage.
On December 17, 1976, he started broadcasting the station nationwide through satellite transmission to cable providers, creating the TBS SuperStation.
TBS featured an eclectic mix of classic films and syndicated comedies, enhanced by Turner’s purchase of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. The consistently struggling Braves gradually developed a national following through superstation broadcasts.
During the 1980s, Turner accumulated substantial debt acquiring MGM, a decision that drew widespread doubt. However, the purchase provided his company with an extensive classic movie collection that later became the foundation for TNT and Turner Classic Movies channels.
He described his youthful aspirations this way: “I used to tell people I wanted to become the world’s greatest sailor, businessman and lover all at the same time.”
The athletic, mustached Turner maintained a reputation as a socialite who pursued relationships with prominent women throughout much of his life, marrying three times. His marriage to Fonda lasted from 1991 to 2001, ending when she grew weary of his infidelity, though they maintained their friendship afterward.
Turner’s deepest passion may have been land ownership. He accumulated millions of acres in ranch properties featuring roaming buffalo herds and became Nebraska’s largest individual landowner. Texas A&M University researchers recognized his 2005 donation of several bulls for helping expand genetic diversity among the remaining southern Plains bison population.
His wealth reached $2.5 billion in 2023, though he fell from Forbes magazine’s list of America’s 400 wealthiest individuals in 2021.
“See, my life is more an adventure than a quest to make money,” Turner explained.
Turner’s direct speaking style frequently caused offense. After becoming atheist following his sister’s lupus death at 17, he labeled Christians as “losers” and “Jesus freaks,” subsequently apologizing for both comments.
The father of five children established himself as a major philanthropic leader with his September 18, 1997, announcement pledging $1 billion to United Nations charitable organizations.
He championed numerous humanitarian initiatives. Turner partnered with former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn to establish the Nuclear Threat Initiative, an American nonprofit organization working to minimize dangers from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
While contributing millions to international nonprofits, Turner also enjoyed smaller acts of generosity. He once donated $500 to volunteer firefighters who helped extinguish a blaze at one of his properties.
