Television pioneer Ted Turner has died at 87 years old, according to CNN on Wednesday.
"Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” according to Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN.
Turner's signature achievement happened in 1980 with the creation of CNN, the first 24-hour, all-news television network in 1980. He jumped at the chance to launch the network, often described as the "chicken noodle network" in its early days, while living in an apartment above its Atlanta office.
Turner’s motive to launch a 24-hour news network came from his own frustration with other networks that didn’t stay on-air long enough every day to deliver the news to viewers in a timely manner.
“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN,” Thompson added. “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."
The network’s breakthrough moment emerged during the Gulf War in Iraq in 1991, when most television journalists had fled Baghdad amid warnings of an imminent American attack. CNN correspondents, however, stayed in Baghdad to cover the conflict, capturing the first sights and sounds of war that no other network did.
During a 2016 interview, Turner recalled his strategy at the time, revealing he had to “hit hard and move incredibly fast” so that the other networks didn’t have time to respond.
Turner’s media empire also included TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Turner Classic Movies.
In 1996, he sold Turner Broadcasting System to Time Warner Inc. He was promised a continued role in CNN after his company’s sale to Time Warner for $7.3 billion in stock. When Time Warner and AOL later merged, however, he was gradually pushed out. Turner later regretted the decision to sell, calling it a “mistake” to lose control of the company.
CNN continued to tout Turner’s passion and commitment to journalism during Wednesday morning's broadcast, sharing stories about how he transformed the media landscape.
CNN's Brian Stelter acknowledged Turner for finding local stations across the nation and turning them into national networks, including CNN.
Turner lived with Lewy Body dementia for decades, Stelter noted, slowing him down in his later years.
Turner was known for his audacious personality, which earned him the nicknames “Captain Outrageous” and “The Mouth of the South.” He was also known as a generous philanthropist, most notably donating a stunning $1 billion to United Nations charities.