Overview
- Turner, who disclosed Lewy body dementia in 2018, died Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Florida, at 87 with no cause released.
- CNN hailed its founder as a cable-news pioneer, and CEO Mark Thompson said, "Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we all stand."
- He launched CNN in 1980 and built TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, cementing 24-hour news that reached worldwide prominence during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
- Jane Fonda posted a heartfelt remembrance, and President Donald Trump called Turner "one of the greatest" while using the moment to criticize CNN.
- The moment refocused attention on the proposed Paramount Skydance purchase of CNN’s parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, now under review and raising concerns over CNN’s editorial independence.