CNN founder Ted Turner passes away

Mr. Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, who revolutionized the global media landscape by introducing the concept of a 24-hour cable news network, and a renowned media network owner, passed away on May 6, 2026. He was 87 years old at the time of his death and took his last breath peacefully surrounded by family members at his Avalon Plantation farm in Jefferson County, Florida.

In 2018, he publicly announced that he was suffering from Lewy body dementia, and he had been receiving treatment for it for a short period before his death.

Born Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he later moved to Savannah, Georgia, with his father, a successful billboard businessman. He studied at McCallie School and Brown University (where he studied classics before economics, and although expelled from the university, he later received an honorary degree) and also served in the U.S. Coast Guard. When his father committed suicide in 1963, Ted was 24 years old, and he subsequently took control of his father's Turner Advertising Company, growing it into a massive enterprise. It is said that his complex relationship with his father was a powerful motivation for his business journey.

He was married three times during his life: to Julia "Judy" Nye from 1960 to 1964, to Jane "Jennie" Smith from 1965 to 1988, and to the famous actress Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001. A father of five children, Mr. Turner was also cherished by his grandchildren and a great-grandchild at the time of his passing.

In the 1970s, he introduced the "superstation" concept by acquiring a small UHF television station in Atlanta and broadcasting it to nationwide cable systems via satellite technology. To ensure sufficient programming for his channels, he purchased the Atlanta Braves baseball team in 1976 and the Hawks basketball team in 1977. Not stopping there, on June 1, 1980, he launched CNN as the world's first 24-hour news channel, transforming the global news landscape into real-time coverage. A testament to his unique thinking is that he had a video featuring the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" prepared at CNN's inception, to be broadcast in case of the end of the world. He later expanded his media network by adding channels like TNT, Cartoon Network, and TCM, and briefly controlled MGM/UA, and in 1986, he founded the Goodwill Games. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System was sold to Time Warner for approximately $7.34 billion, and he became its Vice Chairman.

Turner, who had a strong passion for sports and adventurous experiences, was the owner of the Atlanta Braves when they won the World Series in 1995. He also succeeded in winning the America's Cup sailing race in 1977 with the yacht 'Courageous'. Due to his bold and sometimes rough talk and demeanor, he was also given nicknames such as "Captain Outrageous" and "Mouth of the South".

In addition to being a successful businessman, he also played a significant role in environmental conservation and philanthropy. In 1997, he pledged $1 billion to the United Nations Foundation and co-founded an initiative to reduce nuclear threats. For many years, he owned the largest amount of private land in America (over 2 million acres), where he began breeding bison, becoming the owner of the world's largest private bison herd. He also pioneered the creation of the popular cartoon series "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" to promote environmental education.

Mr. Ted Turner's name is etched in history for transforming the television media landscape and making news an instant and global experience. Mark Thompson of CNN has referred to Ted Turner as the "main lifeblood" of CNN, and many prominent figures from various fields worldwide, including Richard Branson and the Atlanta Braves team, have expressed their sorrow over his passing.