The media world’s feeling a real sense of loss right now Ted Turner, the fearless mogul who shook up TV with the launch of CNN, died at 87. Turner Enterprises said he passed peacefully at home on May 6, 2026, surrounded by his family. Tributes have poured in, but Jane Fonda his ex-wife and Oscar-winning actress cut straight to the heart with her message. She looked back on their ten wild years together and the permanent impression Turner left on her life and on the world.
Jane Fonda’s Candid Remembrance
Fonda didn’t hold back. She honored Turner on Instagram, calling him her “favorite ex-husband.” She described him as “gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, a swashbuckling pirate.” That image pretty much sums him up someone larger than life, strong yet open, vulnerable, powerfully human. They were married from 1991 to 2001, making headlines as one of America’s ultimate power couples.
She shared something personal Turner was the first person who ever told her he really “needed” her. That admission bridged the gap between their two crazy worlds, Hollywood and 24-hour news. Fonda said he helped her rediscover humor and confidence at a time when everything around her was shifting. Even after their divorce, triggered partly by her religious conversion and their rolling, high-profile careers, the two stayed close. Their friendship stayed strong right up until the end.
The Man Who Gave Us 24-Hour News
So why does Ted’s passing feel so huge? It’s impossible to talk about him without going back to June 1, 1980. That’s when he flipped the switch on CNN, the first-ever channel to bring news non-stop, around the clock. Most people in the business thought he was out of his mind. Who’d want news all day long? Who could possibly fill that airtime?
Turner proved everyone wrong. CNN became a giant, showing the world that news wasn’t just for morning papers or the dinner broadcast. We saw history unfold live coverage of the Challenger disaster, front row seats to the Gulf War. Suddenly, you weren’t reading about the world after the fact; you watched it happen in real time. Turner wouldn’t let his team call anything “foreign” he saw the planet as one connected community. That global mindset is now standard in newsrooms everywhere.
A Life Bigger Than Headlines
Turner never stopped moving. He was a top-tier sailor and even won the America’s Cup in 1977. He owned the Atlanta Braves, turning them into “America’s Team.” He dreamed up and built TNT, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network, reshaping the way we watch, laugh, and remember stories. Before long, those all merged into the Time Warner empire.
But honestly, his generosity stands out most. Back in 1997, he shocked the world by pledging $1 billion to the United Nations something no other billionaire dared to do back then. That move pushed others to start giving big, too. Turner also became one of America’s largest private landowners, managing millions of acres for conservation. He loved American bison, helping rescue them from near-extinction, a point Fonda mentioned, saying she could picture him now “with all the wildlife he helped bring back.”
Facing the Final Challenge
In the last chapter of his life, Turner fought Lewy body dementia. He publicly shared his diagnosis in 2018, describing days of exhaustion and memory lapses. LBD saps memory, muddles thinking, and makes just moving around tough. Still, he faced it with grit. His family Laura, Teddy, Rhett, Beau, Jennie built a tight, loving circle. Fonda appreciated how their mixed-up, sprawling family held together. She was proud to be their stepmom, saying it wasn’t always easy growing up with someone as intense and competitive as Turner, but they all made it work, carrying his energy and complexity forward.
Saying Goodbye to a One-of-a-Kind Original
Ted Turner’s death closes the book on a certain Golden Age of TV the time when giant personalities took massive risks and actually changed the way we see the world. He didn’t play it safe. He gave much of his fortune away. He stayed his eccentric, unpredictable self every step of the way.
Now, as everyone absorbs the news of his passing, one thing’s clear: there’ll never be another quite like Ted Turner. His fingerprints are everywhere, from Montana’s open fields to Atlanta’s bustling newsroom. He leaves behind 14 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a world that still sees itself through the lens he focused.
Source: View the full tribute on Jane Fonda’s Instagram Channel.
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