Ted Turner, the former owner of the Atlanta Braves who signed baseball’s first free agent, has died at 87.
Turner Enterprises, in a news release, confirmed Turner died Wednesday surrounded by family and friends.
In September 2018, Turner disclosed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, which the Alzheimer’s Association defines as “progressive dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and independent function.”
Turner, born in Ohio, made his money in media. He took over his father’s billboard business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, upon his father’s death in 1963. In 1970, in the pre-cable days, he bought an Atlanta UHF station and a station in Charlotte, N.C., and renamed the company Turner Communications Group.
In 1976, Turner made two significant moves that affected Major League Baseball. His Atlanta station, which later became known as TBS, was launched nationwide via satellite across the constantly evolving TV industry. And he bought the Atlanta Braves in January of that year; they became known across America because the team’s games were available nationwide.
“Our good friend and former owner, Ted Turner, was one of a kind — a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of his beloved Braves,” the team said in a statement. “Ted’s visionary leadership and innovative approach to broadcast television transformed the Braves into ‘America’s Team.’
“… We will miss you, Ted. You helped make us who we are today, and the Atlanta Braves are forever grateful for the impact you made on our organization and in our community.”
The following season, Turner bought a majority stake in the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, saying he made the purchase to keep the franchise in the city.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Ted Turner — a true original, a visionary, and a force of nature whose impact will be felt for generations,” Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said in a statement. “… For me personally, owning the Atlanta Hawks and following in his footsteps-even in a small way-has been one of the great honors of my life.”
Three months after buying the Braves, Turner signed 30-year-old pitcher Andy Messersmith to baseball’s first contract in free agency: three years for $1 million. Messersmith was 20-6 with a 2.59 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974. In 1975, he finished 19-14 with a 2.29 ERA in 42 games (40 starts), throwing 321 2/3 innings. He had seven shutouts among his 19 complete games.
When Messersmith took the mound for the Braves, his uniform number was 17 –where Turner’s Atlanta station was on the TV dial — and the nameplate read “Channel” instead of his last name. Taken together, Messersmith represented Turner’s TV station: Channel 17.
Eventually, TBS moved to cable.
Turner had a big hand in other sports, too. He was the founder of the Goodwill Games, bought a pro wrestling organization and renamed it World Championship Wrestling and was a yachtsman. He skippered Courageous to an America’s Cup win in 1977.
Turner also founded CNN and TNT to go with TBS. He sold his holdings, including the Braves, to Time Warner in 1996 for $7.5 billion, a year after celebrating Atlanta’s first World Series win.
His final years were devoted to his philanthropy, including a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations.
Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was married three times, including a 10-year union with actress Jane Fonda that ended in divorce in 2001.
