WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - CNN founder Ted Turner, the passionate athlete and daring businessman whose ambition and innate talents led him to build a media empire that includes the leading news network, has died at the age of 87, the network said on Wednesday.

The network reported the news based on a press release issued by Turner Enterprises, and the cause of death was not disclosed.

In September 2018, Turner revealed that he has a neurological condition called Lewy body dementia, a type of dementia caused by abnormal protein deposits in the brain called Lewy bodies.

Turner became a billionaire after taking over his father's billboard business, buying a television station in 1970, and investing that in what became a huge, pioneering television network.

He became one of the most powerful figures in US media and entertainment, with his networks specializing in news, sports, programs, and classic films. But he didn't stop there. He added MGM/UA to his portfolio before taking an even bigger step: merging Turner Broadcasting Systems with Time Warner in 1996.

Turner headed the new company's cable network division and was its major shareholder, but he struggled to adapt to the corporate system after decades of operating largely independently as his own boss. Ultimately, he lost control of his networks.

Turner also became one of the world's leading environmentalists, one of the largest landowners in the United States, and a major donor, having given a $1 billion donation to the United Nations.

With his light mustache, his wide smile that revealed a gap between his two front teeth, the dimple in his chin, and the sparkle in his eyes, Turner pursued his passions diligently in various aspects.

In the 1970s, he owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Among the many women in his life was Academy Award-winning actress Jane Fonda.

Forbes magazine estimates Turner's net worth at approximately $2.8 billion.

He was born on the third, on November 19, 1938, and moved south with his family when he was nine years old.

He joined the family advertising company in Savannah, Georgia, where he sold advertising space on billboards. At the age of 24, he took over after his father's suicide.

In 1980, Turner founded CNN in Atlanta, which he said would counter the "poor" coverage of the major networks CBS, NBC, and ABC. As the first 24-hour news channel, CNN set a standard for global news coverage of wars, trials, revolutions, natural disasters, and man-made catastrophes.

"If there are no problems with the satellites, we won't stop broadcasting until the end of the world," Turner said in a 2013 interview with CNN.

As a "television pioneer," Turner was named "Man of the Year" in 1991 by Time magazine for "his influence on the dynamics of events and for turning viewers in 150 countries into immediate witnesses of history."