Robert Edward “Ted” Turner III, an American broadcasting entrepreneur, philanthropist, sportsman and environmentalist, died on Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Fla., stated the New York Times. He was 87.

Phillip Evans, a spokesman for the family, confirmed the death, according to the newspaper. In 2018, Turner made public his Lewy Body Dementia diagnosis. The disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects memory and other cognitive abilities.

Turner was known for his brash and fearless nature in business dealings and sports, as well as his controversial statements that earned him the nicknames of "Captain Outrageous" and "The Mouth from the South."

Turner was born on Nov. 19, 1938, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Florence (née Rooney) and Robert Edward Turner II, who owned the Turner Outdoor Advertising billboard company. When he was nine, his family moved to Savannah, Georgia. 

He attended the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, then went to Brown University, majoring in the classics, but switched to economics. At Brown, he was vice-president of its debating team, captain of the sailing team and member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.

He was expelled in 1959 for having a female student in his dormitory room. (Turner was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in November 1989.) Turner joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in order to fulfill his service obligation before he ended up getting drafted for the Vietnam War. (He was honored in 2013 by the U.S. Navy Memorial with its Lone Sailor Award.)

Media Empire

Turner's media empire began in 1960 at his father's billboard business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, where he was a general manager of one of its branch offices. He took the company over in March 1963 after his father's suicide. 

He went on to expand into radio holdings in the South, eventually acquiring his first television station, WJRJ in Atlanta, between 1968-1970. In 1975, his company was one of the first to use a communications satellite to broadcast and he renamed the channel WTBS, then TBS for Turner Broadcasting System, creating what was known as a superstation.

In 1980, Turner founded Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour news channel, Turner Network Television (TNT) in 1988, Cartoon Network in 1992, and Turner Movie Classics in 1994.  

Turner purchased the MGM/UA Entertainment Company in 1976. This included the MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) library of more than 4,000 films. His suggestion of colorizing black-and-white films angered many film historians and fans. 

Time Warner Inc. acquired Turner Broadcasting System for $7.5 billion in stock in 1996, with the caveat that Turner became vice-chairman of Time Warner. 

The early 2000s saw a shift in Turner’s career with the AOL Time Warner merger in 2001, leading to changes in his role and influence — and his fortune tumbled when the shares dropped.

"Vice chairman is kind of a title without portfolio, like the emperor of Japan," said Turner in an "60 Minutes" 2003 interview with Mike Wallace.

In 2003, he resigned, and three years later, he said he would not return to the board of directors. 

Sports

An avid sailor as a child, Turner moved into the big leagues when he ventured into competing in the America's Cup in the 1970s, buying the boat "Courageous" after its Cup victory in 1974. In 1977, Turner's "Courageous" had a 4-0 sweep of Australia in the sailing race.

In 1976, Turner bought the Atlanta Braves baseball team, which won the World Series in 1995 under his ownership. The team was sold by Time Warner, which assumed control over the merger with Turner Broadcasting, to Liberty Media in 2007.

In 1986, he founded the Goodwill Games with the goal of easing tensions between capitalist and communist countries. The last games were in 2001. 

Philanthropy

Turner was known for his philanthropy and environmental advocacy. He consistently supported causes related to wildlife conservation and launched the Turner Foundation, of which he was chairman, in 1990 to address environmental challenges. The foundation emphasized the importance of environmental stewardship.

The Turner Endangered Species Fund, launched in June 1997, is a core grantee of the Turner Foundation, which works to conserve biodiversity by emphasizing restoration efforts of endangered or imperiled species, such as bison in the U.S., on the Turner properties.

Turner is the third-largest landowner in the U.S. with about two million acres.

Turner donated $1 billion to establish the United Nations Foundation in 1998 and created the Nuclear Threat Initiative in 2001. 

He also signed the Giving Pledge. 

Turner has received a number of awards, including the Peabody Award in 1997, the Bower Award for Business Leadership from the Franklin Institute in 2006, and Junior Achievement inducted him into its Business Hall of Fame in 2007. 

In 2008, Turner released his autobiography, "Call Me Ted."

Turner has been married three times: Julia Gayle Nye (1960-1964), with whom he had two children: Laura Turner Seydel and Robert Edward Turner IV; Jane Shirley Smith (1965-1988), with whom he had three children, Jennie Turner Garlington, Beau Turner and Rhett Turner; and Jane Fonda (1991-2001). He has 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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