Overview
- Turner died Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Florida, at age 87, with his family present, and no cause of death was announced.
- The entrepreneur launched CNN in 1980, creating round-the-clock TV news that gained global stature during the 1991 Gulf War.
- He built a far-reaching media portfolio with TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies and owned the Atlanta Braves and Hawks, expanding their national reach through cable.
- Tributes poured in from across media, sports and politics, with CNN chief Mark Thompson calling him the network’s presiding spirit and Jane Fonda posting a personal remembrance.
- In later years he focused on giving and conservation, including a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations, and he disclosed a Lewy body dementia diagnosis in 2018.