Ted Turner, the pioneering founder of CNN and a visionary media mogul, has died at the age of 87.
His death was announced on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, through a statement from Turner Enterprises and confirmed by the Associated Press.
He passed away peacefully at his home near Tallahassee, Florida, surrounded by his family.
Turner was born in Ohio and, alongside CNN, also owned and founded a number of other prominent US and global television channels including Cartoon Network and TBS.
He was known for his environmentalism, philanthropy and support for the United Nations.
In September 2018, Turner revealed that he had Lewy body dementia, a degenerative nerve disease.
He became a billionaire by taking over his father’s billboard business, buying a television station in the 1970s and parlaying that into what would become a vast, groundbreaking television group.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid and fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement. He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,” CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement. “Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognise him and his impact on our lives and the world.”
CNN launched in 1980 as the first 24-hour cable news network, gaining traction in the United States and later internationally.
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