1938-2026
Who Was Ted Turner?
Ted Turner was a media mogul and television pioneer best known for founding CNN. He began working for his father's company, Turner Advertising and became president and CEO in 1963. He later renamed the company the Turner Broadcasting Company and founded the first 24-hour cable news network, CNN, which debuted in 1980. He also founded TBS, TNT, and Cartoon Network. Turner died in May 2026 at 87 years old.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Robert Edward Turner III
BORN: November 19, 1938
DIED: May 6, 2026
BIRTHPLACE: Cincinatti, Ohio
SPOUSES: Julia Gale Nye (1960-1964), Jane Shirley Smith (1965-1988), and Jane Fonda (1991-2001)
CHILDREN: Beau, Rhett, Jennie, Laura, and Teddy
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio
Early Life
Robert Edward Turner III was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 19, 1938. He is the eldest child of parents Robert Edward (Ed) Turner Jr. and Florence (Rooney) Turner. Turner's father owned his own company, Turner Advertising. The business was lucrative; Ed earned a substantial profit selling billboard ads. Although Ed was a good provider, he suffered from mood swings caused by bipolar disorder and vented his anger by physically abusing Turner. Years later, as an adult, Turner would discover he too was bipolar.
When World War II broke out, Ed signed up for the Navy. In 1941, he brought his wife and Turner's sister with him to the Gulf Coast but left Turner behind feeling horribly abandoned. While his family was away, Turner stayed at a Cincinnati boarding school. After the war, Ed relocated the family to Savannah, Georgia, and enrolled his son in the Georgia Military Academy.
In 1950, Turner started attending McCallie, an elite boarding school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His curriculum included military training, one of Turner's favorite subjects. After completing his course load at McCallie, Turner hoped to sign up with the United States Naval Academy, but his father insisted he apply to Harvard. Turner's grades weren’t good enough for Harvard, so in 1956, he enrolled in Brown University instead. However, before he could earn his diploma, Turner was kicked out for having a woman in his dorm room in 1959, the same year his parents divorced.
Early Business Career
In 1960, Turner's father made him the manager of Turner Advertising’s Macon, Georgia, branch. Turner quickly showed a natural talent for business by more than doubling the office’s revenue in his first year. When Turner’s father bought out a competitor in 1962, the costly buyout and subsequent debt placed the company in a tenuous financial condition. Fearing bankruptcy and struggling to cope with bipolar disorder, Ed shot himself to death in March 1963. Turner dealt with his grief by throwing himself into his work. He took over the roles of president and chief executive officer at Turner Advertising, renamed Turner Communications in the late 1960s as the company bought several radio stations. By 1970, he had achieved the distinction of owning the biggest advertising company in the southeastern United States. Turner eventually expanded into television, purchasing the rights to old movies and situation comedies. The decision proved highly profitable.
Founding CNN
In 1976, Turner made a strategic move to reach an even larger audience through the use of satellite technology. He rebranded once again, changing his company’s name to Turner Broadcasting Company. During the late 1970s, he conceived the idea for an all-news network. Cable News Network (CNN) first aired in 1980, but six years later it was in the black. In 1985, Turner used some of his profits to buy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Also in the 1980s, Turner began coloring films but eventually decided the cost was impractical.
In 1992, he created the Cartoon Network in addition to launching Turner Network Television (TNT) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). In 1996, with Turner Broadcasting a leader in both the television and Internet industries, Turner sold the company to Time Warner for $7.5 billion dollars. After the merger, Turner stayed on and ran the company’s cable networks, including Home Box Office (HBO). In 2001, Time Warner merged with America Online (AOL). The following year Turner took a stab at an entirely new business venture, a steakhouse serving bison, called Ted’s Montana Grill.
Marriages and Kids
Over the course of his successful career in broadcasting, Turner married and divorced three times. His most famous marriage was his third to actress and activist Jane Fonda. The couple married in 1991 and divorced a decade later over a disagreement about religious beliefs.
Before Fonda, Turner was married to Jane Shirley Smith. They wed in 1965 and had three children together—Beau, Rhett, and Jennie—before divorcing in 1988. Turner also had two children with his first wife Judy Gale Nye. During their marriage, which lasted from 1960 to 1964, they welcomed a named Teddy and a daughter named Laura.
Death
On May 6, 2026, Turner died at his home in Tallahassee, Florida at 87 years old due to complications with Lewy body dementia. He had been diagnosed with the progressive brain disease in 2018.
Net Worth
At the time of his death, Turner had an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion, according to Forbes.
Quotes
- If I hadn't started [Turner Broadcasting System] I couldn't have afforded to buy it. And if I hadn't started it, I would certainly not be qualified to work here in any capacity.
- War has been good to me from a financial standpoint but I don't want to make money that way. I don't want blood money.
- Life is a game. Money is how we keep score.
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