Ted Turner, the maverick media entrepreneur who founded CNN and pioneered the 24-hour news cycle, died Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Florida. He was 87.

Turner Enterprises announced the death in a news release, stating that the billionaire passed away peacefully, surrounded by family. He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. No cause of death was disclosed, though Turner had publicly discussed his Lewy body dementia diagnosis in 2018 and was hospitalized with pneumonia in January 2025.

Born Robert Edward Turner III on November 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Turner took over his family's billboard business at age 24 following his father's suicide. He expanded into broadcasting by acquiring an Atlanta UHF station in 1970, which became WTBS, cable's first superstation distributed nationwide via satellite in 1976.

In 1980, Turner launched CNN, the world's first 24-hour cable news network, betting on continuous coverage at a time when traditional broadcasts were limited to evening slots. The channel faced early skepticism but gained prominence during events like the 1991 Persian Gulf War, which it covered live around the clock. Turner later created TNT in 1988 and Cartoon Network in 1992, building a cable empire that merged with Time Warner in 1996 for $7.34 billion.

Turner also owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team from 1976 to 2007, leading them to the 1995 World Series title, as well as the Atlanta Hawks and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. A passionate yachtsman, he skippered the yacht Courageous to victory in the 1977 America's Cup.

Known as "The Mouth of the South" for his outspoken style, Turner owned vast ranches across the American West, amassing about two million acres and the world's largest bison herd through Turner Enterprises. His philanthropy included a $1 billion donation to create the United Nations Foundation in 1997 and co-founding the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, paid tribute, calling Turner "an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment." He added, "Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand." Former colleagues remembered his hands-on approach, including breakfasts in the CNN cafeteria, wearing a housecoat.

Turner's innovations reshaped television, spawning the cable news era and superstations that influenced networks like ESPN and MTV. He was married four times, including to actress Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001.