Jane Fonda, CNN alum pay tribute to Ted Turner

Jami Ganz and Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News on May 6, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Ted Turner, the “singular” CNN founder, billionaire philanthropist and pioneer of the 24-hour cable news cycle, is being remembered for his contributions to journalism and the world at large following his death. He was 87.

Turner, who also founded Turner Network Television (TNT) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), died Wednesday while surrounded by his family near his Tallahassee, Florida, home, amid a battle with Lewy body dementia. Two-time Oscar winner and activist Jane Fonda — to whom Turner was married from 1991 to 2001 — celebrated his legacy with a lengthy Instagram post praising him for teaching her how to hunt, fish and think strategically.

“He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” she wrote.

Fonda also praised Turner for taking care of her and allowing her to do the same.

“To be needed and cared for simultaneously is transformative,” Fonda wrote. “Ted Turner helped me believe in myself. He gave me confidence.”

She also praised his environmental activism. “I loved Ted with all my heart. I see him in heaven now with all the wildlife he helped bring back from extinction – the black footed ferrets, the prairie dogs, Big Horned sheep, Mexican Gray Wolf, the Yellowstone wolf pack, bison, the red cockaded woodpecker and so many more, they’re all gathered at the pearly gates applauding and thanking him for saving their species.”

Her post included a photo of the pair embracing.

CNN staples of past and present, including Wolf Blitzer, Christiane Amanpour, Katie Couric, CEO Mark Thompson and former CNN President Walter Isaacson, also paid tribute to Turner.

“‘This is where the news comes first, and your vacations and everything else comes second,'” Blitzer recalled Turner saying upon hiring him in May 1990. “He was so determined to make sure that the news was strong and reliable and fair and he inspired me and so many other journalists to work and report the news fairly and accurately, and if possible, break those stories first.”

Blitzer, who will “miss him a lot,” remembered Turner as an “idealistic guy,” who also emphasized to him the importance of CNN being seen nationally and internationally: “He felt that if people all over the world were seeing the same news, maybe the world would be a little bit more peaceful.”

Amanpour remembered Turner as exemplifying “the amazing American success story, the businessman, the visionary, the revolutionary, who created really a media revolution.” She said that any and everything in the 24/7 news cycle “was a copy” of Turner, “and not the best copies.”

“He was the original and he made us all proud and he made us all hopeful. He made us all strive for his vision of a better world,” continued Amanpour.

Couric, one of the self-described “CNN OGs,” praised Turner as “a singular figure — in a world of colorful media moguls, he was technicolor.”

“Ted was enormously proud of the network he created and the journalists who worked there. He was also a committed environmentalist and philanthropist who left the world much better than he found it,” she continued. “Thank you, Ted, for the impact you had on the world and for doing it your way.”

“There are no worthy successors to Ted Turner,” Thompson said during a Wednesday afternoon appearance on CNN, while recalling his state of mind upon taking the head job.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly reflected on Turner’s legacy in a memo to staffers, highlighting brands like Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) — formerly WJRJ and WTCG — which he inherited in 1970, as well as the launches of TNT and TCM.

“Ted’s influence is woven throughout Warner Bros. Discovery,” wrote Zaslav. “The brands he built and championed remain central to who we are, and they continue to reflect his belief in creative risk, cultural impact, and global reach. ... Ted Turner changed our industry forever.”

During the Investigative Journalism Summit in London, Isaacson remembered Turner as “the most fearless journalist I’ve ever seen.”

“Ted’s love of classic films inspired him to create a channel dedicated to preserving them. He considered TCM one of his greatest accomplishments,” said TCM. “His passion continues to inspire us all as we work to fulfill his mission.”

The Atlanta Braves, which Turner owned from 1976 to 1996, remembered him as a “good friend” and “one of a kind — a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of this beloved Braves.” The team credited Turner for having “helped make us who we are today.”

_____