Billionaire Media Mogul And CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies At 87

Ted Turner, the billionaire media mogul who created CNN and reshaped global news broadcasting, has died at the age of 87. His death was announced on Wednesday by Turner Enterprises, though the exact date of his passing has not been made public.

Turner, often nicknamed “The Mouth of the South” for his outspoken personality, built one of the most influential media empires in modern history.

He founded Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980, launching the world’s first 24-hour news channel and changing how audiences around the globe followed breaking events in real time.

Media empire and global impact

Born in Ohio and later based in Atlanta, Turner expanded his business far beyond CNN. His Turner Broadcasting System grew to include major television networks such as TBS, TNT, Turner Classic

Movies and Cartoon Network. He also owned professional sports teams, including the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and became a well-known figure in American sport and business.

Turner was also a passionate yachtsman, winning the America’s Cup in 1977, and a philanthropist who later founded the United Nations Foundation. He supported global causes ranging from nuclear disarmament to environmental protection and conservation, including efforts to restore bison populations in the American West. He also created the “Captain Planet” animated series to promote environmental awareness among children.

In 1991, Turner was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for his global influence and his role in making audiences in more than 150 countries “instant witnesses of history”.

CNN later described him as a fearless leader whose vision changed journalism permanently. “Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch,” said Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide.

Health, legacy and later life

Turner sold most of his media networks to Time Warner in the 1990s but remained closely associated with CNN, calling it the “greatest achievement” of his life.

In 2018, just over a month before his 80th birthday, Turner revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder affecting memory and cognition. In early 2025, he was hospitalised with pneumonia but later recovered at a rehabilitation facility.

He is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

(With inputs from CNN)