Ted Turner ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 30: Ted Turner speaks at UNICEF's Evening for Children First to Honor Ted Turner on March 30, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ben Rose/Getty Images for UNICEF) (Ben Rose/Getty Images for UNICEF)
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Ted Turner, the man who made cable news what it is today, has died.
Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 19, 1938. He attended Brown University from 1957 to 1960, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts/Science, and served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
The “Mouth of the South,” as he was called, had a simple motto for success, according to CNN, “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.”
Advertising is where he got his start in business in 1963 when he took over the family’s business, Turner Advertising Co., after the death of his father, Robert Edward Turner.
Ted Turner renamed it Turner Communications Group and bought two independent UHF stations in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, renaming WTCG and WRET after himself.
In 1976, he launched TBS as a “superstation” using satellites to beam the channel across the country. TBS was followed by TNT in 1988, The Cartoon Network in 1992 and Turner Classic Movies/TCM in 1994.
Four years later, he changed the face of reporting by launching the first 24-hour cable news network, CNN, followed two years later by CNN Headline News.
In 1985, he focused on movies by buying MGM-UA Entertainment and its vast library of classic films.
But he wasn’t just in the television game. Turner was also a philanthropist, founding the Turner Foundation in 1990 to help preserve the global environment. The next year, Time magazine selects him as “Man of the Year.”
In 1996, he sold Turner Broadcasting System to Time Warner for $7.34 billion and is the vice chairman of the company, serving as a member of the Board of Directors until 2001, when Time Warner merged with AOL to create AOL Time Warner, where he serves as vice chairman until 2003 and the board of directors until 2006.
He pledged up to $1 billion to the United Nations in 1997 and then in 1998, launched the United Nations Foundation to” promote a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. UNF has identified four core priorities: women and population; children’s health; the environment; and peace and security.”
Turner launched Ted’s Montana Grill, first in Columbus, Ohio, with partner and founder of Longhorn Steakhouse, George McKerrow, Jr., with dishes that focus on bison or beef. There are 39 Ted’s Montana Grill’s nationwide, his officials website said.
In 2018, he shared his medical diagnosis of Lewy body dementia on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Turner was married several times, first to Judy Nye in the 1960s, then Jane Smith, and finally his most famous wife, Jane Fonda, whom he married in 1991. All three relationships ended in divorce.
He also had several children with his first two wives: with Smith, he had Beau, Rhett, and Jennie, and with Nye, he had Laura Lee and Robert Edward IV.
As of April 20, 2026, Turner was worth $2.8 billion and was #1520 of the world’s richest people according to Forbes.
Among his ventures is about 2 million acres of land across the U.S., making him the third-largest individual landowner in the country. He owned more than 30,000 acres in Florida, called Avalon Plantation, which was the site of his wedding to Fonda, Forbes said. His St. Phillips Island became part of a state park when he transferred ownership to South Carolina.
He also had a hand in the sports world, buying the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and the Atlanta Hawks in 1977, The New York Times reported at the time. He said he bought control of the team to keep the Hawks in Atlanta.
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Ted Turner Through the Years 1990: Media magnate Ted Turner and actress Jane Fonda. Mandatory Credit: Tony Duffy/ALLSPORT (Tony Duffy/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 1994: Ted Turner (right) applauds at the opening ceremonies for the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill /Allsport (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 1994: The IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, on the left, and Ted Turner (center), president of Turner Broadcasting Systems, listen attentively to Anatoli Sobchak on the right, the mayor of St. Petersburg, during their meeting at the civic opening ceremony before the official start of the 1994 Goodwill Games. Mandatory Credit: PHIL COLE/ALLSPORT (Phil Cole/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 1994: Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner answers questions from reporters in the locker room after the Braves win over the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Championship Series against Cincinnati at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 1998: Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner looks on during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves defeated the Brewers 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 1998: Ted Turner speaks during the opening ceremonies of the 1998 Goodwill Games at Mitchell Field in Long Island, New York. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2002: Ted Turner, Vice Chairman of AOL Time Warner, receives an honorary degree from Morehouse College during the 2002 commencement ceremonies on May 19, 2002, in Atlanta. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images) (Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2003: Ted Turner does the tomahawk chop during Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves on September 30, 2003, at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Cubs defeated the Braves 4-2. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) (Jamie Squire)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2004: Media magnate Ted Turner attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 7, 2004, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2004: Media mogul Ted Turner speaks at the "Hollywood Radio and Television Society's Newsmakers Luncheon" at the Regent Beverly Wilshire on April 8, 2004, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images) (Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2005: Ted Turner (L) and Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, speak at a news conference to discuss the Alan Cranston Peace Award at the United Nations, April 20, 2005, in New York City. The award of the peace prize was given to Ted Turner. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2005: United Nations Foundation Chairman Ted Turner attends the 2005 Institutional Investor Summit on Climate Risk at United Nations headquarters, May 10, 2005, in New York City. The summit addressed climate risk, management and opportunity with regard to global warming. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2011: (L-R) Usher and Ted Turner attend Usher's New Look Foundation - World Leadership Conference & Awards 2011 - Day 3 at Cobb Energy Center on July 22, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Usher's New Look Foundation) (Moses Robinson)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2014: Ted Turner attends the 2014 Global Leadership Dinner at Cipriani 42nd Street on October 22, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2017: Ted Turner and Jane Fonda attend GCAPP "Eight Decades of Jane" in Celebration of Jane Fonda's 80th Birthday at The Whitley on December 9, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GAACP) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GAACP)
Ted Turner Through the Years 2020: In this screengrab, Ted Turner speaks during the GCAPP EmPOWER Party & 25th Anniversary Virtual Event on November 12, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for GCAPP) (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for GCAPP)
