Jane Fonda Pays Tribute to Ex-Husband Ted Turner After CNN Founder Dies at 87

Jane Fonda marked the death of her ex-husband Ted Turner with a statement posted on Instagram, after Turner died at 87 on Wednesday, according to a release from Turner Enterprises. In her tribute, Fonda wrote, “MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS ABOUT TED He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” describing him as “the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies.” She also said, “He needed me,” and added that no one had let her know they needed her before. Fonda’s post also referenced Turner’s role as a yachtsman and environmental figure, including her line that she “see[s] him in heaven now with all the wildlife he helped bring back from extinction.”

“Madrid Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, died on Wednesday at the age of 87, according to an announcement by the network this afternoon”

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Turner’s death was also met with remarks from CNN leadership, with CNN CEO Mark Thompson saying, “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN.” In the same statement, Thompson added, “Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.” Variety reported that Fox Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch and Comcast’s Brian Roberts were among the figures paying tribute, with Murdoch calling Turner “a great American and friend.” The Hollywood Reporter framed Fonda’s remembrance around her description of Turner as “someone who “Needed and Cared” for Her,” quoting her line that “To be needed and cared for simultaneously is transformative.”

Multiple outlets tied Turner’s death to his family and health history, including People’s account that he died on Wednesday, May 6, at 87 after a 2018 diagnosis of Lewy body dementia. People also reported that Fonda was 88 and that she and Turner were married from 1991 to 2001, with their relationship beginning in 1990 after Fonda split from California politician Tom Hayden. In her tribute, Fonda wrote that “Five children survive him,” and she described them as “Five talented, complex kids who I had the privilege of becoming stepmother to.” TheWrap similarly quoted Fonda’s Instagram language, including “You are loved and you will be remembered,” while noting that Turner was survived by five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“The influence of CNN founder Ted Turner expanded far and wide to seemingly every corner of American culture through his eight decades of life”

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