Inside Ted Turner’s Three Marriages — And Why Jane Fonda Calls Him Her Favorite Ex
Media mogul Ted Turner died May 6 at 87, CNN Worldwide chairman and CEO Mark Thompson confirmed, praising him as an intrepid, fearless leader who trusted his hunches. He was married three times.
Ted Turner, the guy who bet big on 24-hour news before anyone else thought it was sane, has died at 87. CNN confirmed his death on May 6, 2026. He is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Turner founded CNN in 1980, battled Lewy body dementia in the years leading up to his death, and, as of now, his official cause of death has not been made public.
What CNN is saying
Mark Thompson, CNN Worldwide chairman and CEO, called Turner the network's guiding force from day one and said Turner trusted his gut when others would not.
"He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN."
Thompson also described Turner as an intensely involved leader who backed his hunches and as the giant on whose shoulders today's CNN still stands.
Health, in his own words
Turner disclosed his Lewy body dementia diagnosis back in 2018 on CBS Sunday Morning. He explained it as a progressive brain disorder similar to Alzheimer’s, but, in his words, not as severe. He even joked mid-thought that he could not remember the name of the condition, which told you as much about his candor as it did the illness.
Three marriages, five kids, and a long shadow
- Julia Gale Nye — Married in 1960; they had two children, Laura and Robert Edward 'Teddy' Turner IV, and divorced in 1964.
- Jane Shirley Smith — Married in 1965; the marriage lasted more than two decades before they split in 1988. They had three children: Rhett, Reed Beauregard 'Beau', and Jennie.
- Jane Fonda — Married in 1991; they separated in 2001 but stayed on good terms. Fonda has described Turner as her favorite ex-husband.
Fonda, still in the conversation
As recently as March 2026, Fonda was talking to Variety about where the industry is heading, especially the idea of big studio mergers. She warned they would be rough on workers, likely push prices up, and hand more political leverage to corporate owners. She even claimed the Secretary of Defense said CNN could not come under Paramount 's control soon enough, tying that to concerns about Donald Trump. That is her characterization, to be clear — and yes, it is a pretty eyebrow-raising way to frame the media landscape. She also tossed off a line about having a personal stake since she once slept with the guy who created CNN, which is very on-brand Fonda and very on-brand Turner lore.
The legacy
Love him or argue with him, Turner changed television. He turned breaking news into a business model, made a scrappy upstart into a global habit, and left behind a network — and an industry — that still runs on the kind of risk-taking he treated like oxygen.