Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, has died at the age of 87.
In a statement issued by CNN CEO Mark Thompson, the media leader described Turner as “an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment.”
According to a news release from Turner Enterprises, Ted Turner died peacefully on Wednesday surrounded by family members. He was 87.
Born in Ohio and raised in Atlanta, Turner earned the nickname “The Mouth of the South” for his outspoken nature. He built a media empire that included cable’s first superstation and popular channels for movies and cartoons, as well as professional sports teams such as the Atlanta Braves.
Turner was also an internationally recognized yachtsman, philanthropist who founded the United Nations Foundation, activist advocating for nuclear disarmament, and conservationist. He played a key role in reintroducing bison to the American West and created the Captain Planet cartoon to educate children about environmental issues.
His audacious vision of delivering news from around the world in real time led to the creation of CNN, which revolutionized television news. In 1991, Turner received a major international accolade for his influence on global events.
After selling his networks to Time Warner, Turner exited the business but continued to express pride in CNN, calling it his “greatest achievement” of life.
In his later years, Turner focused on ranches. He purchased a reported 14 ranch properties across the United States, including an 113,000-acre spread in Montana where he spent much of his final years. In 2012, Turner indicated that he had amassed a portfolio of properties, with ranches housing approximately 55,000 bison.
Turner was once considered America’s largest private landowner with nearly two million acres, though he later fell behind his fellow media mogul John Malone, who held around 2.2 million acres as of 2011. At the time of his death, Turner had an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, much of which was invested in U.S. properties.