Ted Turner, the outspoken entrepreneur who transformed the news business with the creation of CNN, died on Wednesday at the age of 87.
The news was reported by CNN itself, citing a news release from Turner Enterprises.
Turner, a US entrepreneur also known as a yachting enthusiast and philanthropist whose empire also included sports clubs, had been suffering from the degenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia.
He owned professional sports teams in Atlanta, defended the America’s Cup in yachting in 1977 and donated $1 billion to United Nations charities. He married three women — most famously actress Jane Fonda — and earned the nicknames “Captain Outrageous” and “The Mouth of the South.”
He played a major role in upending established broadcasting by launching Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980, the first 24-hour all-news TV network. The network rose to global recognition with its coverage of the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.
While most other other journalists fled Baghdad at the time, CNN stayed, capturing images of the war’s outbreak.
Correspondents brought live coverage from major events ranging from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Chinese crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests.
Turner sold the company to Time Warner in a $7.3 billion megadeal, and was gradually pushed out despite having been promised a continued role.
His television empire expanded beyond CNN and included TBS and TNT channels for sports and entertainment, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, among others.
“Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world,” Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement.
“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN.”
Additional sources • AP, AFP