CNN Founder Ted Turner Dies at 87

Ted Turner, the media executive who launched CNN and pioneered the 24-hour news cycle, died at age 87, the network reported Wednesday. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death, according to Turner Enterprises.

Turner built a cable television empire that included CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies. His business deals and ownership of professional sports teams expanded his profile beyond media.

Trump posted on Truth Social that Turner was “one of the Greats of All Time” and a personal friend who was always willing to fight for a good cause.

““Ted Turner, one of the Greats of All Time, just died. He founded CNN, sold it, and was personally devastated by the Deal because the new ownership took CNN, his ‘baby,’ and destroyed it.” — President Trump, Truth Social post Walter Isaacson, former CNN chairman, described Turner as “the most fearless journalist I’ve ever seen” during a speech in London.”

““He brought a Confederate sword he had hanging on his wall, and he rallied us. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof credited Turner with revolutionizing philanthropy by making large-scale giving to global causes fashionable among wealthy individuals.”

Turner had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and focused on conservation and philanthropy in recent years, managing more than 2 million acres of land that included the nation’s largest bison herd.