Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, attended the 75th anniversary celebration of former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter in one of his final public appearances.
Turner Enterprises announced its founder — a billionaire businessman, philanthropist and environmentalist — had died on Wednesday, May 6, at the age of 87. Turner, who was married to actress Jane Fonda for 10 years, is credited with the invention of the “superstation” and the 24-hour news cycle.
According to a source, Turner’s final public appearance was in 2023 for his 85th birthday party. As he kept away from public view in his later years while navigating Lewy body dementia, one of Turner’s last documented public appearances came nearly five years ago.
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On July 10, 2021, the business magnate traveled to Plains, Ga. — the Carters’ hometown, about four hours from Turner’s hometown of Savannah — to celebrate the couple on their milestone diamond anniversary. In a photo from the event, two individuals helped Turner, who wore a simple black suit, blue shirt and patterned tie, to his seat at the reception.
Those also in attendance at the celebration included a handful of Democratic elected officials and many of the Carters’ loved ones.
Two years prior, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner also attended the 2019 Captain Planet Foundation Gala, an event honoring the charity he co-founded. At the gala, hosted at Flourish Atlanta on Nov. 16, Turner was seen surrounded by his daughter, Laura Turner Seydel, and musician Chuck Leavell, who was honored at the event.
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The foundation, which was based on the animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, was co-founded by Turner and producer Barbara Pyle to “engage and empower young people to be problem solvers for the planet,” according to its site.
Turner’s 2019 appearance came just over a year after he revealed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. The disease is a common neurodegenerative disease that impacts memory, motor function and cognitive ability, per Mayo Clinic.
