Former WCW Owner Ted Turner Passes Away at 87

Atlanta media giant and former WCW owner Ted Turner has passed away. He was 87.

CNN first reported the news of Turner’s death, citing a press release from Turner Enterprises, which noted that he “died peacefully Wednesday, surrounded by his family.” Turner had been dealing with Lewy body dementia since 2018 and was hospitalized with mild pneumonia in early 2025.

Ted Turner founded the first-ever 24-hour cable news channel, CNN, in 1980, as well as TNT (in 1988) and Cartoon Network (in 1992). He’s viewed as a media trailblazer, responsible for many of the things that are now the norm in media, such as cable news.

He also founded the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after purchasing the assets of Jim Crockett Promotions. WCW competed with the World Wrestling Federation in the ratings war, with Nitro, which aired on TNT, going head-to-head with WWE RAW. Turner became a major figure in wrestling during this time, as WWE mocked him as ‘Billionaire Ted’ on air during the Monday Night Wars and Vince McMahon himself often took shots at Turner.

“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless, and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement. He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. 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,” Mark Thompson, CNN Worldwide’s CEO & Chairman, said in a statement.

411Mania sends its heartfelt condolences to Ted Turner’s family and loved ones.