Breaking: CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies at Age 87
CNN founder Ted Turner died on Wednesday, according to a network announcement.
The media mogul and television pioneer reportedly was surrounded by his family, according to CNN. He was 87.
Turner launched CNN in 1980 after building a television empire through local broadcasting, syndicated programming, and sports.
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 6, 2026
At the time, the concept of a 24-hour news network was viewed by many in television as unrealistic.
It ultimately changed the news industry permanently and into what it is today, which CNN competitor Fox News recognized on the air on Wednesday:
BREAKING: CNN founder and cable news pioneer Ted Turner has died at the age of 87.
Turner pioneered the media industry with the creation of the 24-hour cable news network in 1980.
He died peacefully and was surrounded by family, according to CNN. pic.twitter.com/2gTcIZp8f2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 6, 2026
President Donald Trump also shared a tribute to Turner, while denouncing what the network became after Turner sold it.
🚨Trump on the passing of Ted Turner: pic.twitter.com/y7CUAEMksp
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 6, 2026
According to CNN, Turner entered the media business at the age of 24 after taking over his father’s billboard company following his father’s suicide.
He later expanded into radio before purchasing an Atlanta TV station in 1970.
Turner acquired the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team and later the NBA Atlanta Hawks while building his broadcasting business.
CNN officially launched on June 1, 1980.
The network became the first channel dedicated entirely to around-the-clock news coverage.
He also launched networks, including Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies, and the Cartoon Network. As his New York Times obituary noted, beyond business, he was a pop culture figure in his own right, including his 10-year marriage to liberal actress Jane Fonda.
Turner would eventually publicly criticize the leftward direction CNN took in his later years.
During a 2018 interview with Ted Koppel, Turner said that by then, the far-left network relied “too much” on politics needed a “more balanced agenda” — possibly meaning more hard news and less opinion.
Turner revealed that same year that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.
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