The man in question is Ted Turner — the founder of CNN, a media mogul, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential figures in the history of television. According to reports from AP, Reuters, and CNN, Turner has died at the age of 87. He went down in history as the man who launched CNN in 1980 — the first 24-hour cable news channel, which effectively changed global journalism.
His road to worldwide fame was far from simple. Born in Cincinnati in 1938, he took over the family advertising business after his father’s death — a company that, at the time, hardly looked like the beginning of a future empire. But that was exactly where the story began of a man who would later turn a small business into a media giant.
Turner bought radio stations, developed television, took risks with cable formats, and gradually built an empire that included TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network. His idea of news running 24 hours a day initially seemed too bold to many, but CNN later became one of the main sources of information during major world events, including the Gulf War.
He was nicknamed the “Mouth of the South” for his sharp comments and explosive personality. He owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team and was deeply connected to the worlds of sports, entertainment, and big business. In 1991, Time magazine named him “Man of the Year” for CNN’s impact on the coverage of global events.
Turner’s personal life was also often in the spotlight. He was married to Hollywood actress Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001. In later years, he stepped away from active leadership, and in 2018, he revealed that he had Lewy body dementia.
Forbes estimated his fortune at around $2.8 billion. But Turner’s legacy is not only about money. It is an entire era of television, news, cable channels, and bold decisions that changed the way the world looks at information.