Pioneering CNN founder Ted Turner dead at 87 Ted Turner, the flamboyant US entrepreneur who transformed television news with the creation of CNN in 1980, died at the age of 87, the network said on Wednesday. The moustached southerner, yachting enthusiast and philanthropist, whose empire also included sports clubs, had been suffering from the degenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia. Cable News Network upended established broadcasting with its dedication to around-the-clock breaking news and shot to global recognition with its coverage of the Gulf War in 1990-91.