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The man who brought 24-hour news into American living rooms and helped turn television into a global force has died.

Ted Turner, the outspoken media mogul who founded CNN, passed away at the age of 87. Turner Enterprises confirmed the news on Wednesday, ending a remarkable life that reshaped media, business, philanthropy, and even how nations communicate during crises.

In a statement, Mark Thompson, chair and CEO of CNN Worldwide, described Turner as “an intensely involved and committed leader — intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment.” Thompson added that Turner “was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,” calling him “the giant on whose shoulders we stand.”

That is no exaggeration. Before CNN, television news was mostly confined to evening broadcasts with limited reach. Turner bet everything on something radical: a 24-hour cable news network that would deliver information instantly, around the clock, from anywhere in the world. Many in the industry dismissed the idea. Turner trusted his instincts — and history proved him right.

A Transformative Career

Turner didn’t just build a network; he transformed the entire industry. He turned a struggling Atlanta UHF station into the foundation of Turner Broadcasting System. He launched CNN in 1980, creating the template for modern cable news. Later came TNT, TBS, and ownership of the Atlanta Braves. In 1991, Time magazine named him Man of the Year for “influencing the dynamic of events and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history.”

His impact extended far beyond profit. Turner became one of the most significant philanthropists of his era. In 1998, he founded the United Nations Foundation with a record $1 billion donation, aiming to strengthen the UN, encourage new partnerships, and promote strong U.S. leadership within it. He also co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit focused on reducing global risks from nuclear, biological, and emerging technological threats.

In the 1990s, he sold Turner Broadcasting to Time Warner in a landmark deal that reflected both his ambition and the changing media landscape.

The Man Behind the Myth

Turner was known as “The Mouth of the South” — bold, colorful, and unafraid to speak his mind. That same willingness to take risks defined both his successes and his later challenges. In 2018, he publicly disclosed his diagnosis with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder. He faced health setbacks, including a mild case of pneumonia in 2025.

Yet his larger-than-life persona left an indelible mark on culture, politics, and global affairs. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Gulf War, CNN under Turner’s vision made distant events feel immediate and personal.

Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The family’s spokesperson also confirmed the news to The New York Times.