Ted Turner dies aged 87: Billionaire based CNN and was married to Jane Fonda
CNN founder Ted Turner has died at the age of 87.
The billionaire died on Wednesday, according to the cable news network he founded.
Turner had four children and was famously married to Hollywood star Jane Fonda between 1991 and 2001.
Nicknamed the ‘Mouth of the South’ for his outspokenness, Turner built a media empire that spanned several cable and satellite sports stations. For decades, he also owned the Atlanta Braves.
Turner founded CNN – the first 24-hour cable news channel – in 1980.
He was named Time’s ‘Man of the Year’ eleven years later for the station’s live coverage of current events.
CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson acknowledged his passing in a statement.
A cause of death was not detailed, but Turner was known to be battling Lewy body dementia.
Ted Turner pass away aged 87 on Wednesday, according to CNN, which he founded
The billionaire media titan was once married to actress Jane Fonda. The pair are pictured together in Beverly Hills in 1990. The two divorced in 2001
‘He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,’ Thompson wrote of Turner.
‘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.’
Thompson further touted the TNT founder as an ‘intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement.’
Turner officially resigned from Turner Broadcasting System – which includes CNN – in 2006.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1938, took over a faltering family billboard business after his father’s suicide before launching his television career with purchases of several radio stations and a struggling Atlanta station in 1970.
Within ten years, Turner managed to turn the channel around. He used the profits to help launch of CNN, which quickly gained traction in the United States and later internationally.
The launch came as viewers were shifting from broadcast to cable and CNN became a key source of news during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, delivering extensive live coverage using satellite technology.
CNN’s success inspired the creation of other 24-hour news channels including Fox News by longtime Turner rival Rupert Murdoch, MSNBC and countless station worldwide.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1938, Turner took over a faltering family billboard business after his father’s suicide and transformed it into a sprawling media empire
Turner – seen here in Washington in 2013 – was also a notable philantrophist
Turner’s television empire expanded beyond CNN and included TBS and TNT channels for sports and entertainment, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, among others.
As his television empire expanded, Turner made a failed bid to acquire CBS in the 1980s and then briefly acquired MGM/UA Entertainment Co. studios.
Turner sold the Hollywood group back months later, while keeping the rights to large portions of its catalog including films from MGM.
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