Yesterday, we reported that the CNN founder Ted Turner had passed away at the age of 87. Now, Turner’s ex-wife Jane Fonda, who he was married to from 1991 until 2001, has broken her silence to pay tribute to him after his death.
Fonda Honors Turner
Fonda, 88, took to Instagram to post a lengthy tribute to Turner, who she recently described as her “favorite ex-husband” out of her three.
“He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” Fonda began. “He needed me. No one had ever let me know they needed me, and this wasn’t your average human being that needed me, this was the creator of CNN, and Turner Classic Movies, who had won the America’s Cup as the world’s greatest sailor. He had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor.”
“He could also take care of me,” the two-time Oscar-winner continued. “That was new as well. To be needed and cared for simultaneously is transformative. Ted Turner helped me believe in myself. He gave me confidence. I think I did the same for him, but that’s what women are raised to do. Men like Ted aren’t supposed to express need and vulnerability. That was Ted’s greatest strength, I believe.”
Fonda Doubles Down
Not stopping there, Fonda proceeded to double down.
“He also taught me more than any other person or school classes, mostly about nature and wildlife, hunting and fishing (hunters and fishermen who follow the law are the best environmentalists), but also about business and strategy,” she added. “Ted was supremely strategic. It was likely innate, but he studied the Classics in college, knew about the Peleponesian War inside and out and the strategies used by Alexander the Great and even Genghis Khan. And sailing big boats as he did further honed those strategic talents which he then brought into his businesses to much success. He could see around corners for sure.”
“Next to Katharine Hepburn, Ted was the most competitive person I have ever met and that was fascinating to witness,” Fonda concluded. “Whether it was who’d made the most ski runs at the end of the day, to acres of land owned (stewarded is the more fitting word for his relationship to land), who had the most billions, how many countries he’d made love to his prior lover in and could I match that, it was challenging. Ted was challenging, but I’ve always been up for a challenge, and with Ted it was almost always worth it.”
Fonda Praised Turner Last Week
On April 30, less than a week before Turner died, Fonda spoke out to gush over him. Turner launched Turner Classic Movies in 1994, fourteen years after he founded CNN.
During a pre-screening conversation with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz, Fonda described Turner as being her “favorite ex-husband.” She also talked about just how important TCM was to Turner.
“On our very first date, he talked to me all about Turner Classic Movies,” Fonda recalled. “I do think it’s one of the great things that he did.”
When asked why TCM is needed today, Fonda replied, “We need to know what it used to be like. We need to know what the greats were like. The great directors, the great actresses, the great actors. We want to see how people used to behave.”
“I know a young girl who came from a very, very disadvantaged background and she learned manners and how to behave from TCM,” she added.
Fonda And Turner’s History
Fonda and Turner met back in 1990 immediately after she split from her second husband Tom Hayden.
”Ted can keep up with me,” Fonda told People Magazine in 1990. ”He’s a very, very funny, lovable, complicated person.”
Fonda and Turner later announced their separation in 2000.
“While we continue to be committed to the long-term success of our marriage, we find ourselves at a juncture where we must each take some personal time for ourselves,” they said in a statement at the time.
Their divorce was finalized in 2001. Despite this, they remained on good terms.
“I still have a very good relationship [with him]” Fonda said in 2008. “Life is too short to be fighting.”
Turner felt the same way about Fonda.
“When you love somebody and you really love them, you never stop loving them,” Turner told Piers Morgan after they split. “There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s good.”
Turner went on to admit that Fonda was “probably” his greatest love.
Turner’s Dementia Diagnosis And Death
In 2018, Turner revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia.
“It’s a mild case of what people have as Alzheimer’s,” Turner told CBS Sunday Morning at the time. “It’s similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimer’s is fatal.”
“Thank goodness I don’t have that,” he continued. “But, I also have got, let’s — the one that’s — I can’t remember the name of it.” After a momentary pause, Turner added, “Dementia.. I can’t remember what my disease is.”
Turner died on the Wednesday, May 6.
“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement obtained by People. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. 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.”
Turner is survived by his five children. His survivors also include 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Rest in peace, Ted Turner.