The man who changed how the world consumes news has left the building. Ted Turner, the swashbuckling billionaire who launched CNN from nothing, died today at 87.
His passing was confirmed by Turner Enterprises. Inside CNN, the grief was immediate. The network's current chairman, Mark Thompson, painted a portrait of a leader who was "intensely involved, intrepid, fearless," and who always trusted his own gut.
Thompson called Turner the "presiding spirit" of CNN, the giant whose shoulders everyone still stands on. For those who worked there, his shadow never faded.
Turner wasn't just a media titan. He was a force of nature. He once wrote a billion-dollar check to the United Nations. Over his life, he poured more than $1.3 million into Democratic causes and candidates.
His passions stretched far beyond newsrooms. Turner ran the largest private bison herd on the planet. He managed two million acres of land across eight states, turning his ranches into a massive ecological conservation project.
And in sports, he owned the Atlanta Braves for two decades. The payoff came in 1995: a World Series victory in six games against the Cleveland Indians. It was a crowning moment for a man who loved to win.
But behind the bravado came a quiet, devastating truth. In 2018, Turner revealed he was battling Lewy body dementia, a cruel and progressive brain disorder. Last year, pneumonia sent him to the hospital, followed by a stint in rehab.
Born Robert Edward Turner III on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he leaves behind five children, fourteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His story will keep unfolding, but the first rough draft of history just lost one of its most audacious editors.
