Ted Turner, the media mogul and philanthropist who co-founded CNN, has died, Turner Enterprises announced on Wednesday. He was 87.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” CNN Worldwide chairman/CEO Mark Thompson 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 launched his 24-hour cable news network on June 1, 1980, alongside Reese Schonfeld, and was also the founder of TNT, TBS and Cartoon Network, as well as co-creator of “Captain Planet and the Planeteers.”
Born on Nov. 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, “The Mouth of the South” was at one point the nation’s largest private landowner and once donated $1 billion to create the United Nations Foundation, on which he served as chairman of the board of directors up until his death. He also co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative and was a former owner of many Atlanta sports teams, including the Braves.
Due to his vast work in media, the entrepreneur was the recipient of a wide range of awards and honors throughout his life — including Lifetime Achievement Emmys in both Sports and News & Documentary, a Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, am Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Communication, a Peabody Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, entry into the Television Hall of Fame, a spot as Time magazine’s Man of the Year for 1991 and even a 1995 World Series ring.
In 2018, Turner publicly shared his Lewy body dementia diagnosis, though an official cause of death has not been confirmed. He is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
