Ted Turner, the media entrepreneur who founded Cable News Network (CNN) and reshaped global television news, has died aged 87.
Turner died peacefully on Wednesday surrounded by his family, according to a statement from Turner Enterprises.
The Ohio-born businessman, often known as "The Mouth of the South" for his outspoken style, launched the world’s first 24-hour news channel in 1980, transforming how audiences consumed news in real time.
His media empire grew to include cable’s first superstation, popular film and cartoon channels, and ownership of professional sports teams including the Atlanta Braves.
Beyond broadcasting, Turner was a prominent yachtsman, philanthropist and conservationist who became one of the largest private landowners in the United States (US).
He founded the United Nations Foundation (UNF), campaigned for nuclear disarmament and played a key role in reintroducing bison to the American West.
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He also created the environmental cartoon Captain Planet.
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."
Turner later sold his networks to Time Warner but continued to describe CNN as the "greatest achievement" of his life.
"Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement.
"He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand," said Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide.
In 2018, Turner revealed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder.
He was hospitalised with pneumonia in early 2025 but later recovered.
Turner is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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