Ted Turner, the media mogul perhaps best known for founding CNN, has died, according to CNN. The outlet reports that Turner died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. He was 87 years old.
Born in Ohio and spending much of his life in Atlanta, Turner launched CNN in 1980 after years of buying other media properties, including radio stations, a TV station called Channel 17—which became TV’s first superstation—and the Atlanta Braves. CNN became the first 24-hour news station and the U.S.’ first news-only channel. While the channel continued to find its footing in the 1980s, everything from the Gulf War to O.J. Simpson to Baby Jessica cemented the network into an institution. Turner famously expected CNN to play until the end of the world, going so far as to commission a doomsday video for the occasion.
Turner expanded fairly quickly with more channels, including CNN2 (which became HLN), TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). The latter station bought Turner some goodwill from the film community after his controversial acquisition of MGM’s library in the 1980s and the subsequent colorization of black-and-white movies. However, TCM eventually became a favorite of film buffs, with Noel Murray writing for this site on TCM’s 15th anniversary, “If I were limited to one cable channel for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t hesitate: I’d pick TCM. I never feel insulted watching Turner Classic Movies; I always feel like I’ve been granted access to a valuable service.”
Turner was also politically outspoken throughout his life, believing that by helping to inform people, he might help solve the problems facing the United States. Turner co-created the series Captain Planet in an effort to get younger generations more involved in ecology. He established the United Nations Foundation with a $1 billion pledge in 1998 to help the UN focus on human rights, health, and climate issues; Turner also had something of a fixation on curbing population growth rates. He was credited with helping bring the wild bison population back from near-extinction.
In 1996, Turner sold his networks to Time Warner and stayed on as vice chairman of the company. A merger in 2000 was an infamous disaster, losing Turner much of his personal fortune and his position within the company by 2003. Turner was also married to actor and activist Jane Fonda for 10 years, splitting in 2001, though they remained good friends for years after. He followed through on his pledge to the United Nations in 2015.
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