Ted Turner, the media mogul who founded CNN, has died aged 87, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing a news release from Turner Enterprises.

In a statement, Mark Thompson, the chair and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said that “Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgment.”

“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,” Thompson said. “Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”

Turner transformed television news by launching CNN, and went on to also become a prolific philanthropist, founding the United Nations Foundation in 1998 and donating a record $1bn to the UN.

According to the foundation, “Ted’s goals in establishing the foundation were to demonstrate the value of investing in the UN, encourage new partners to work with the UN and promote strong US leadership at the UN.”

He also founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit advocacy organization that describes itself as “a global security organization working to reduce threats from nuclear, biological and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity”.

In 1991, Turner was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for “influencing the dynamic of events and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history”.

Turner sold his media company, Turner Broadcasting System, which included CNN, to Time Warner Inc in the 1990s.

In 2018, he announced that he had Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder. Turner was briefly hospitalized in 2025 with a mild case of pneumonia.

According to CNN, Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The death was also confirmed by a spokesperson for the family to the New York Times.