Overview
- Turner Enterprises said Ted Turner died Wednesday, May 6, at age 87, and he had lived for years with Lewy body dementia following a 2018 diagnosis.
- He launched CNN in 1980 as the first 24-hour TV news network, and its live coverage during the 1991 Gulf War showed viewers that news no longer had to wait for evening broadcasts.
- Hindustan Times, citing RadarOnline, reports his fortune will largely fund environmental and charitable causes rather than pass directly to his children, reflecting his long-stated wishes.
- He sold Turner Broadcasting to Time Warner in 1996 for roughly $7.5 billion in stock, and the later AOL–Time Warner deal cut his stake and reduced his influence, as detailed by Fortune.
- A major philanthropist and land steward, he pledged $1 billion to the United Nations and became one of the largest private landowners with about two million acres focused on conservation and bison restoration.