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Ted Turner, the media maverick and philanthropist who founded CNN, a pioneering 24-hour network that revolutionized television news, died peacefully Wednesday, surrounded by his family, 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.
But it was his audacious vision to deliver news from around the world in real time, at all hours, that really made him famous – once his idea finally took off.
In 1991, Turner was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for “influencing the dynamic of events and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history.”
Ted Turner's life in pictures 57 photos Ted Turner stands in a CNN control room. He launched the first 24-hour, all-news cable network on June 1, 1980. CNN Ted Turner's life in pictures Ted Turner stands in a CNN control room. He launched the first 24-hour, all-news cable network on June 1, 1980. CNN Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III was born in Cincinnati on November 19, 1938. Turner Family Collection Turner, seen here with his father at approximately 2 years old, was born to Florence and Robert Edward "Ed" Turner II. Ted Turner's father ran a billboard advertising business. Turner Family Collection Turner spent time in the US Coast Guard after he left Brown University. He attended Brown from 1957-1960. Turner Family Collection Turner married Judy Nye in 1960. The two had two children together — Laura and Robert Edward IV (aka Teddy) — before divorcing a few years later. Turner Family Collection Turner with his father, Ed, on his wedding day. Ed Turner committed suicide three years later, in March 1963. Turner Family Collection After his father's suicide, Turner took over the family business, Turner Advertising Co. Turner Family Collection Turner remarried in 1964, to Jane "Janie" Smith. The two had three children together — Beau, Rhett and Jennie — and were married for more than 20 years. Turner Family Collection After turning the family business around and renaming it the Turner Communications Group, Turner purchased two independent UHF television stations — in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina — in 1970. He named them WTCG and WRET, after his company and himself. WTCG eventually became WTBS, television’s first “superstation." It used satellite technology to carry its signal nationwide. TBS Turner is carried off by his sailing crew after they won the America's Cup, a prestigious sailing competition, in 1977. J. Walter Green/AP The name of Turner's winning yacht, Courageous, is emblazoned on his sweater. TBS Turner is photographed aboard Courageous while it was in dock in Rhode Island. UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Turner attends an America's Cup news conference. Courtesy Dan Nerney Turner watches an Atlanta Braves baseball game with retired legend Hank Aaron in 1977. Turner purchased the Braves In 1976. Budd Skinner/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP Turner cheers during an Atlanta Hawks basketball game in 1979. Turner bought the NBA team in 1977. John Iacono/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images Turner speaks outside of CNN's Techwood Campus as he promoted the launch of the 24-hour news network in 1980. R. Cotton Alston, Jr/CNN Turner, right, talks on the set of an early CNN broadcast. TBS Turner poses for a portrait in Atlanta in 1981. Manny Rubio/USA Today Sports/Imagn Images Turner stands next to the Atlanta Hawks' Tom McMillen before an NBA game in Atlanta in 1982. Ronald C. Modra/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images Turner at his desk in 1985. The sign reads "Either Lead, Follow or Get Out of The Way." TBS Turner speaks to Braves manager Eddie Haas before a game in 1985. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Turner appears on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson in 1986. NBCUniversal/Getty Images Turner created the Goodwill Games, an international sports competition similar to the Olympics, in 1986. The first games took place in Moscow. After that, the event was held every few years until ending in 2001. TBS In 1987, Turner acquired all television rights to the classic film "Gone With the Wind." TBS Turner talks with former President Jimmy Carter in 1989. TBS Turner and actress Jane Fonda arrive at the Academy Awards together in 1990. Turner had divorced his second wife a few years earlier. Hal Garb/AFP/Getty Images Turner and Fonda were married in 1991. Turner Family Collection Turner was named Time magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1991. Time Magazine Turner poses near a herd of bison at his 107,000-acre Flying D Ranch near Bozeman, Montana, Each of his ranches is a refuge for native species, especially his beloved bison. Turner said that when he was 10 years old, he read about how the American bison had come close to extinction. "I decided then that I would do what I could to help bring the bison back and preserve them," he said. Linda Best/Bozeman Daily Chronicle/AP With help from Fred Flintstone and Yogi Bear, Turner launches the Cartoon Network in 1992. TBS Turner and Fonda visit Rio de Janeiro in 1992. They were attending Global Forum events that were held parallel to the Earth Summit. Eduardo Nunes/AP Turner launches the Turner Classic Movies channel in 1994. Rick Maiman/Sygma/Getty Images Turner stands behind President Bill Clinton at the White House in 1995. Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were meeting with Turner and other business leaders to discuss the Tech Corps and grants for technology in the classroom. Mike Theiler/Reuters Turner holds the Commissioner's Trophy after the Braves won the World Series in 1995. Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images In 1996, Turner sold his company to Time Warner for $7.34 billion. He became vice chairman after the merger. TBS Turner in his office in Atlanta in 1996. Stringer/Reuters Turner and Fonda take part in a Native American ceremony at Turner's Ladder Ranch in New Mexico in 1998. William Campbell/Sygma/Getty Images Turner and Denis Hayes, one of the founders of Earth Day, toss used videotapes into a pile for recycling at the CNN Center in Atlanta in 2000. Ric Feld/AP Turner, seen here in 2000, said his secret to success was “early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise." Michael Williamson/The Washington Post/Getty Images Turner gave the US government $31 million to pay off a debt to the United Nations in 2001. Years earlier, Turner had donated $1 billion to the United Nations. United Nations Foundation Turner, while being honored with a degree at Washington College, jokes while being presented with his sash in Chestertown, Maryland, in 2002. Don Wright/AP Turner waits for his cameo in the 2003 film "Gods and Generals." He also financed the film, which was set during the Civil War. Jean-Louis/Paris Match Archive/Getty Images In 2004, Turner joined tens of thousands of women who were marching in Washington, DC, to support abortion rights and oppose the Bush administration's policies on family planning. Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images Turner walks the runway during a Dressed to Kilt charity event in New York in 2005. Stephen Lovekin/WireImage/Getty Images Turner and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev speak at a news conference at the United Nations in 2005. Turner was the recipient of the Alan Cranston Peace Award that year. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Turner is applauded by CNN's Christiane Amanpour after a panel discussion at the CNN 25 World Report Conference in Atlanta in 2005. Ric Feld/AP Turner visits Muzaffarabad, a city in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, after it was hit by an earthquake in 2005. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters Turner prepares to deliver remarks at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, in 2006. Turner talked about his efforts at the United Nations, his philanthropy, the state of journalism and his perspective on a nuclear test that North Korea said it completed. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Turner and Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, lay a wreath of flowers as they visit the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan. Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images Turner sits in his home at Spanish Creek near Bozeman, Montana, in 2008. Erik Petersen/Bozeman Chronicle/AP Turner rides a horse at his Flying D Ranch in Montana in 2011. Elena Cizmaric A stretch of Atlanta's Spring Street, near the CNN Center, was renamed Ted Turner Drive in 2015. Edward M. Pio Roda/CNN Turner eats at a Ted's Montana Grill, next to CEO George McKerrow Jr., in 2016. They launched the restaurant chain in 2002 as part of their efforts to help save the bison. Dustin Chambers/The New York Times/Redux Turner walks at his Flying D Ranch in Montana in 2017. Morgan Rachel Levy/Redux Turner walks on stage at the CNN Center as he and CNN were recognized with a historical marker in Atlanta in 2018. John Nowak/CNN Turner is accompanied by Mimi Bean, left, and his granddaughter Laura Elizabeth Seydel at the 30th anniversary screening of the comedy movie "When Harry Met Sally" in Hollywood in 2019. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Turner poses for a photo with his family during his 85th birthday celebration in November 2023. courtesy Turner Enterprises Prev Next Ted Turner's life in pictures
Turner eventually sold his networks to Time Warner and later exited the business, but continued to express pride in CNN, calling it the “greatest achievement” of his life.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. 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.”
Turner was “a legend, he revolutionized the television business by creating the first 24-hour news channel right here at CNN,” Wolf Blitzer said Wednesday morning as he announced Turner’s death on-air.
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