Ted Turner, the media mogul who founded CNN in 1980 as the world’s first 24-hour cable news network, died on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the age of 87. His passing was confirmed by Turner Enterprises and announced by CNN, with his family stating he died after a long battle with Lewy body dementia.
Turner built a vast media empire that included TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies, while also owning the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks. He was a prominent philanthropist, donating $1 billion to the United Nations in 1998 to establish the United Nations Foundation and co-founding the Nuclear Threat Initiative with former Senator Sam Nunn to reduce global nuclear dangers.
Born Robert Edward Turner III in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1938, Turner revolutionized television by launching the “superstation” concept via satellite and pioneering real-time global news coverage. He sold his broadcasting networks to Time Warner in 1996 for approximately $7.5 billion, later serving as vice-chairman of the merged company before fully exiting the business. He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
