Media Mogul and CNN Founder Ted Turner Dead at 87

Ted Turner, media mogul and founder of CNN, has died. He was 87 years old.

🚨 NOW: Founder of CNN Ted Turner has passed away at the age of 87

FOX: “Turner, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, made his fortune first through advertising in the state of Georgia, and then made his way into cable television, where he made a fortune on the seas as a sailor, as a… pic.twitter.com/eZK5IcFkuS

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 6, 2026

Here’s more:

Ted Turner, the media maverick and philanthropist who founded CNN, a pioneering 24-hour network that revolutionized television news, died Wednesday, according to a news release from Turner Enterprises. He was 87.

The Ohio-born Atlanta businessman, nicknamed “The Mouth of the South” for his outspoken nature, built a media empire that encompassed cable’s first superstation and popular channels for movies and cartoons, plus professional sports teams like the Atlanta Braves.

Turner was also an internationally known yachtsman; a philanthropist who founded the United Nations Foundation; an activist who sought the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons; and a conservationist who became one of the foremost landowners in the United States. He played a crucial role in reintroducing bison to the American west. He even created the Captain Planet cartoon to educate kids about the environment.

Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to parents Florence and Robert Turner. When Turner was nine, his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. Turner attended The McCallie School, a private boys’ preparatory academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Bulletin: CNN founder Ted Turner has died. He was 87. pic.twitter.com/Wv7BmyJLPO

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 6, 2026

He attended Brown University and was vice president of the Brown Debating Union and captain of the sailing team. He majored in classics before switching to economics, but he was expelled before graduating for having a female student in his dorm room. In 1989, Brown awarded TUrner an honorary B.A.

After his expulsion, Turner joined the United States Coast Guard Reserve to fill his service obligation as tensions in Vietnam were starting to heat up.

Ted Turner, the billionaire who founded CNN and turned his company into one of the biggest US cable-television systems before selling it to Time Warner, has died. He was 87. https://t.co/9ILU0Xk5Ea

— Bloomberg (@business) May 6, 2026

In late 1960, Turner returned to Georgia and became general manager of the Macon, Georgia, branch of his father’s billboard business. His father committed suicide in March, 1963, and Turner became president and chief executive of Turner Advertising Company at the age of 24. The business prospered because it had “virtual monopolies” in Savannah, Macon, Columbus, and Charleston.

Turner used that success to buy several Southern radio stations, which he later sold to buy UHF Channel 17, WJRJ, a struggling Atlanta television station. He changed the call sign to WTCG, which stood for Turner Communications Group, and the station started by running old movies, theatrical cartoons, and old sitcoms and dramas including “Gilligan’s Island,” “I Love Lucy,” and “Star Trek.”

Ted Turner has been out of the spotlight for a while, so he’s, amazingly, almost underrated now. His impact on American media and politics, so really on American culture generally, was massive, almost immeasurable. We’ll be living with it for decades to come. RIP. https://t.co/UZTGxwjx59

— Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) May 6, 2026

Turner later bought UHF Channel 36 WRET (now WCNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina, and ran a similar format to WTCG.

Ted Turner spoke to Variety in 2019 for a rare interview on his legacy, big deals and old feuds:

“Aside from CNN, I think the decision to broadcast the Atlanta Braves games on Superstation TBS was a big deal for us; it really grew our audience. Another great thing was our… pic.twitter.com/E5tslxk5Y4

— Variety (@Variety) May 6, 2026

In 1976, Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves and, the following year, bought the Atlanta Hawks. That move, in part, was to provide programming for WTCG, which was later renamed WTBS. Airing Braves games into nearly every home in North America, Turner elevated the team before their successful runs of the 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1986, Turner founded the Goodwill Games to ease tensions between capitalist and communist countries.

Breaking news: Ted Turner, whose 24-hour news channel CNN revolutionized TV journalism, and whose sprawling legacy encompassed conservation, philanthropy and professional sports, died Wednesday. He was 87. https://t.co/9ESp63d3LI

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 6, 2026

In 1979, Turner sold WRET, the North Carolina station, and established what would become the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Turner’s vision was to bring a 24-hour news channel to the airwaves, and he appointed media executive Reese Schonfeld as the first president and chief executive of the Cable News Network (CNN).

Ted Turner was a business and media legend. The Braves with him in the 1990’s was a heck of a run and his decision to put the Braves on WTBS — at same time the Cubs were on WGN every day too — was the sports soundtrack of my generation’s life. RIP.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 6, 2026

Turner was also known for his philanthropic work, including giving $1 billion to the United Nations Foundation.

He was also known for his love of sailing, entering competitions at the Savannah Yacht Club and competing in Olympic trials. In 1977, his vessel, Courageous, defeated challenger Australia in a four-race sweep. He won America’s Cup in 1977 and was featured on the cover of “Sports Illustrated” that year. He was also inducted into America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1993 and the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011.

He was married and divorced three times, first to Judy Nye, then Jane Smith, and finally to actress Jane Fonda. He has five children.

In 2018, Turner announced that he’d been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia.

Ted Turner, the TV mogul and philanthropist who founded CNN, has died. He was 87.

Turner disclosed in September 2018 that he was suffering from Lewy body dementia, a brain disorder that affects memory and other cognitive functions.

Turner, Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in… pic.twitter.com/CmGgrKJXTD

— Variety (@Variety) May 6, 2026

Turner is survived by his five children as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.