Ted Turner, the charismatic and outspoken American entrepreneur who fundamentally reshaped the global media landscape by founding CNN, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87.
The 24-hour news network confirmed his death, noting that the billionaire philanthropist and sailing enthusiast had been battling Lewy Body Dementia.
Turner’s creation of the Cable News Network in 1980 completely disrupted traditional broadcasting norms with its unprecedented commitment to non-stop, around-the-clock news coverage.
The network cemented its reputation as a vital global information source during the 1990–91 Gulf War, delivering live, continuous reports straight from Baghdad amidst intense bombing campaigns. Over the decades, its reporters provided firsthand coverage of historic milestones, including the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Tiananmen Square protests.
”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,” Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN.”
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in November 1938, Turner attended a Tennessee military boarding school and later enrolled at Brown University, from which he was expelled. He took control of his family’s struggling advertising enterprise following his father’s tragic suicide over financial struggles. Turner entered the television business in 1970 by acquiring a failing station in Atlanta, which eventually evolved into the flagship of his nationwide Turner Broadcasting System and funded the rollout of CNN.
The phenomenal success of CNN sparked the creation of multiple competing 24-hour news outlets globally, including MSNBC and Fox News, the latter founded by Turner’s longtime business rival Rupert Murdoch.
Beyond his flagship news channel, Turner built an expansive entertainment network that featured prominent channels such as TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, and the Cartoon Network, alongside his ownership of various sports franchises.