Ted Turner, the 86-year-old media mogul who founded CNN more than 40 years ago, has been hospitalized with pneumonia, according to reports.
Turner was said to be recovering at a rehabilitation center in Florida after being recently hospitalized with “mild pneumonia.” one of his agents told TMZ.
The cable news pioneer “expects a full recovery,” a representative said.
In 2018, Turner revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. Lewy body dementia is a progressive neurological disease caused by abnormal accumulation of proteins that interfere with normal brain function.
“This is a mild case of Alzheimer's disease. It's kind of like that. But it's not as bad. Alzheimer's disease is deadly,” Turner told journalist Ted Koppel. He spoke in an interview broadcast on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
“Thankfully, I don't have one. But I have one too, yeah, it's — I can't remember the name,” Turner said at the time.
“Dementia. I can't remember what my illness is,” he added.
Asked what symptoms she had, Turner told Koppel: I'm exhausted. That's the main symptom, forgetfulness. ”
Lewy body dementia affects an estimated 1.4 million Americans, and symptoms can include memory problems and behavioral changes, according to the Lewy Body Dementia Association.
An autopsy of comedian Robin Williams, who died by suicide in 2014, revealed that he suffered from this disorder.
Turner, a bison rancher, donated his 80,000-acre ranch in western Nebraska to his environmental nonprofit in 2021, but said he would continue to pay taxes on the land.
State officials fear that Mr. Turner, Nebraska's largest landowner with about 500,000 acres of ranch land in western Nebraska, will turn the land over to a nonprofit group and exclude large tracts of land from property taxes. I was doing it.
Turner's life's work also includes founding TBS and the Turner Broadcasting System, which includes cable channels TNT, TBS, and Cartoon Network. He also started Turner Classic Movies.
The billionaire media mogul was also the former owner of the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Atlanta Hawks basketball team.
Turner was married to actress Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001, and they later divorced.
The newspaper has contacted Mr. Turner for comment.
