Ted Turner, founder of CNN and a pioneering force behind the 24-hour news cycle who later became a prominent figure in philanthropy, environmentalism and professional sports, died Wednesday, surrounded by his family. He was 87.
Turner’s death was confirmed by Phillip Evans, a spokesperson for the family. In 2018, as he neared his 80th birthday, Turner revealed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects cognition and movement.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment,” CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN.”
He continued, “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.”
Nicknamed “The Mouth of the South” for his blunt demeanor, Turner built a media empire, encompassing CNN spinoff networks CNN Headline News and CNN International, as well as the first cable and satellite sports and entertainment “superstation,” TBS, and later its sister channel TNT.
In the mid-1980s, Turner bought MGM’s library of more than 4,000 films for $1.5 billion and later the treasure trove of classic movies to launch the cable network Turner Classic Movies, or TCM.
Just five years later, Turner acquired Hanna-Barbera Productions for roughly $320 million, gaining one of Hollywood’s largest animation libraries, home to “The Jetsons,” “Scooby-Doo,” “The Flintstones” and “Yogi Bear.” Those properties became the foundation of Cartoon Network, launched by Turner in 1992.
During that time, he also bought the Atlanta Braves and gave the team significant exposure, helping elevate it to one of the nation’s most popular baseball franchises, with frequent World Series appearances during his ownership. He later acquired the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers.
“I’m trying to set the all-time record for achievement by one person in one lifetime,” he told Reader’s Digest in 1998. “And that puts you in pretty big company: Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Gandhi, Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Washington, Roosevelt, Churchill.”
Turner eventually sold his media empire to Time Warner in 1996 and left behind the business — opting to spend his time as a philanthropist and environmentalist.
He founded the Turner Foundation in 1990 and donated an estimated $200 million to charitable causes, supporting conservation efforts to protect endangered species and preserve more than 200 million acres of land. In 1997, he made a $1 billion donation to the United Nations.
“He was also a man known for his no-holds-barred delivery, endearing sense of humor, and undying loyalty to those around him. He charmed people he met with his warmth and general lack of conceit, despite his many successes and celebrity — an attribute made apparent in his response to anyone who addressed him as ‘Mr. Turner’ — he’d always reply, ‘Call me Ted!’” his family shared in a statement.
Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.