Ted Turner, Visionary Media Mogul and Architect of Sports Dynasties, Dies at 87

Robert Edward "Ted" Turner, the transformative former owner of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), has died at the age of 87. His company, Turner Enterprises, confirmed his passing on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Turner had publicly disclosed a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive brain disorder, in 2018 and was hospitalized for pneumonia in 2025.

Turner, an Ohio native who became synonymous with the Atlanta business and sports landscape, was a pioneering figure in media and cable television. His ventures included the founding of CNN, the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel, and TBS, the inaugural cable superstation, alongside TNT. His influence profoundly reshaped how sports and news were consumed nationwide, establishing a model that many media organizations would later emulate.

The Atlanta Braves organization issued a statement following Turner’s death, highlighting his multifaceted impact: "Our good friend and former owner, Ted Turner, was one of a kind – a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of his beloved Braves. Ted’s visionary leadership and innovative approach to broadcast television transformed the Braves into ‘America’s Team.’ Under his stewardship, the ballclub experienced one of the greatest runs of sustained excellence in Major League Baseball history and brought a World Series championship to Atlanta in 1995. Ted was also a legendary philanthropist whose compassion and generosity extended across the globe. We will miss you, Ted. You helped make us who we are today, and the Atlanta Braves are forever grateful for the impact you made on our organization and in our community."

Turner’s foray into sports ownership began in 1976 when he acquired the Atlanta Braves for a reported $12 million. At the time, the Braves were often among Major League Baseball’s struggling franchises. Turner’s innovative approach was to integrate the team’s telecasts directly into his burgeoning WTBS cable network, effectively transforming the local baseball club into a national phenomenon. This strategy, born partly out of necessity given the team’s early on-field performance, leveraged WTBS’s expanding reach to turn the Braves into "America’s Team," a designation that significantly bolstered their economic fortunes through relentless and creative promotional efforts.

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His unconventional style was evident in 1977 when he briefly managed the team for a single game before the National League intervened, halting the experiment. Despite the early struggles, Turner’s long-term vision for the Braves began to materialize with key strategic hires. In 1978, he brought in Bobby Cox as manager, a move that would later prove pivotal. Cox’s second tenure, beginning in 1990, coincided with the Braves’ ascent to dynasty status.

Under Turner’s ownership and the combined leadership of Cox and general manager John Schuerholz, whom Turner shrewdly recruited from the Kansas City Royals in 1990, the Braves assembled an impressive core of homegrown talent. This included future Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, alongside star third baseman Chipper Jones. These players, complemented by strategic trade and free-agent acquisitions, propelled the Braves into an unprecedented era of sustained excellence. The team reached the World Series in 1991, falling in a memorable Game 7 to the Minnesota Twins. This marked the beginning of a remarkable run that saw the Braves secure 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005 (excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season). Their almost nightly presence on TBS further cemented their national brand.

The pinnacle of Turner’s ownership came in 1995 when the Braves defeated the Cleveland Guardians (then Indians) to win the World Series, bringing a long-awaited championship to Atlanta. Just one year later, in 1996, Turner sold the Braves to Time Warner as part of a massive merger deal valued at approximately $400 million. The Braves continued their success for several years after his direct ownership, moving into Turner Field, a stadium rebranded in his honor after serving as the main stadium for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The team played there from 1997 until 2016, before moving to their current home at Truist Park. The Braves’ enduring organizational strength, evidenced by their 2021 World Series title, is often attributed to the foundations laid during Turner’s tenure.

Beyond baseball, Turner expanded his sports portfolio into professional basketball. He owned the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks from 1977 to 1982. During his relatively brief tenure, the Hawks achieved limited on-court success, winning only a single playoff series. While the Hawks did not reach the same heights as the Braves under Turner’s ownership, the franchise has since experienced periods of resurgence, most recently reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, led by players such as Trae Young.

Turner’s impact on sports also extended into the realm of professional wrestling. In 1988, he founded World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after acquiring the assets of Jim Crockett Promotions. WCW rapidly evolved into the primary competitor to Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The "Monday Night Wars" of the 1990s, pitting WCW’s "Monday Nitro" against WWF’s "Monday Night Raw," became a cultural phenomenon. WCW notably surpassed WWF in television ratings for an impressive 83 consecutive weeks, largely due to innovative storylines, the recruitment of established stars like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and the creation of groundbreaking factions such as the New World Order (NWO). This period revolutionized professional wrestling programming and viewership. However, despite its initial dominance, WCW eventually lost momentum, and its assets were acquired by WWF (now WWE) from AOL Time Warner in 2001, marking the end of a significant era in wrestling history.

Turner’s pioneering spirit was not confined to sports. As a media mogul, he revolutionized news delivery with the launch of CNN in 1980, creating the world’s first 24-hour news network. This venture fundamentally altered how information was disseminated and consumed globally. His earlier success with TBS as a "superstation" demonstrated his understanding of satellite technology’s potential to distribute content widely, a concept that paved the way for the vast cable television landscape that exists today. For his groundbreaking leadership in cable news and his broader influence, Turner was named Time Magazine’s "Man of the Year" in 1991.

Outside of his media and sports empires, Turner was an accomplished yachtsman, famously winning the prestigious America’s Cup race in 1977. He was also a prominent philanthropist, dedicating significant resources to environmental conservation and global initiatives, including the establishment of the United Nations Foundation in 1997 with a $1 billion pledge.

Ted Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. His legacy is one of audacious vision, entrepreneurial risk-taking, and an undeniable impact on the intertwined worlds of media and professional sports.

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