Ted Turner, CNN founder and cable news innovator, dies at 87

May 6 (UPI) -- Media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner died Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Fla. He was 87 years old.

and had lewy body dementia.

Turner was the founder and creator of CNN, TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies and more.

He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, his family moved to Savannah, Ga., when he was 9. He attended Brown University, but didn't graduate, then joined the Coast Guard Reserve during the Vietnam War.

His father, Robert Edward Turner II, died by suicide when Turner was 24, leaving him the family billboard advertising business, Turner Outdoor Advertising. He began buying up radio and TV stations, including Channel 17 in Atlanta, which became the first cable super-station.

Turner bought the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks, and created CNN when he saw a gap in the news market.

"I worked until 7 o'clock, and when I got home the news was over," CNN reported he once said. "So I missed television news completely. And I figured there were lots of people like me."

CNN went live on June 1, 1981.

Turner expanded, adding a second 24-hour news network CNN2 (later Headline News, then HLN) in 1982, and created CNN International in 1985. He later added Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies and the Cartoon Network.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 1:36 PM.