Media Visionary and CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies at 87

CNN founder and media pioneer Ted Turner has passed away at age 87.

Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III, the maverick media mogul who revolutionised global communications by creating the world’s first 24-hour news network, has passed away. His family confirmed that Turner died peacefully Tuesday night, May 5, 2026, at his estate in Upperneith, surrounded by loved ones. He was 87.

Known affectionately (and sometimes notoriously) as the “Mouth of the South,” Turner was a billionaire philanthropist, an America’s Cup-winning sailor, and a sports tycoon. However, his most enduring legacy remains the democratization of information through the founding of Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980.

The Visionary Who Never Slept

When Turner launched CNN on June 1, 1980, the media establishment mocked the idea of a 24-hour news cycle. Critics dubbed it “Chicken Noodle Network,” doubting there was enough news to fill a full day. Turner proved them wrong, fundamentally altering how the world consumes information.

• Global Impact: CNN became the “network of record” during the 1991 Gulf War, providing live, real-time coverage that world leaders and citizens alike watched simultaneously.
• Media Empire: Beyond news, Turner transformed a struggling UHF station in Atlanta into TBS, the first “superstation,” and later founded TNT, Cartoon Network, and TCM (Turner Classic Movies).
• The AOL Merger: In 2000, he facilitated the merger of Time Warner and AOL—a deal he later called “the biggest mistake of my life” after losing billions in personal wealth and his corporate influence.

Philanthropy and the $1 Billion Pledge

Turner was as famous for his generosity as he was for his business acumen. In 1997, he made international headlines by pledging $1 billion to United Nations causes, leading to the creation of the United Nations Foundation.

His commitment to the environment was equally fierce. As one of the largest private landowners in the United States, he dedicated much of his later life to land conservation and the restoration of the American bison population through his Turner Endangered Species Fund.

Legacy at a Glance

A Battle with Lewy Body Dementia

In his final years, Turner lived a more private life following his 2018 announcement that he had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. He faced the progressive neurological disease with the same grit that characterized his business career, often speaking openly about the challenges of memory loss and exhaustion to raise awareness for the condition.

Tributes have begun pouring in from global figures. Former President Bill Clinton remarked today that Turner “reimagined the world and then had the courage to build it,” while CNN anchors held a moment of silence during this morning’s broadcast.