Jane Fonda has paid a stunningly beautiful tribute to her late ex-husband, Ted Turner, the pioneering founder of CNN, who was also known for his philanthropy and activism, who has died at the age of 87.
Ted and Jane, 88, were married for 10 years, between 1991 and 2001, and she helped to raise his five children. In a moving statement posted on social media, Jane shared that Ted “swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same”.
The actress went on to share that Ted, the creator of CNN, Turner Classic Movies, and the winner of the America’s Cup, “had a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor,” but that, most importantly, he “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,” wrote Jane.
“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 continued, sharing that he loves the classics and knew “strategies used by Alexander the Great and even Genghis Khan… which he then brought into his businesses to much success. He could see around corners for sure.”
© Getty ImagesNicknamed “The Mouth of the South”, Ted founded the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel, CNN, on June 1, 1980, revolutionizing television news by providing round-the-clock coverage.
Jane called him “the most competitive person I have ever met and that was fascinating to witness,” and joked that they competed over “how many countries he’d made love to his prior lover in and could I match that.”
© WireImageJane went on to share that despite their marriage only lasting 10 years, he changed her life forever, challenging her to “think big” and “act small (for the twenty years since meeting Ted, I too, pick up trash on my walks).”
She added “I loved Ted with all my heart. I see him in heaven now with all the wildlife he helped bring back from extinction – the black-footed ferrets, the prairie dogs, Big Horned sheep, Mexican Gray Wolf, the Yellowstone wolf pack, bison, the red cockaded woodpecker, and so many more, they’re all gathered at the pearly gates applauding and thanking him for saving their species.”
© Getty ImagesJane concluded by revealing the “privilege” she felt to be a stepmother to his five children, writing: “If it was complicated to be married to him, think how complicated it was being his child. And they are all doing fine.”
Ted founded the United Nations Foundation (through which he donated over $1 billion), and was a dedicated activist (much like his ex-wife Jane, a fellow climate activist, among other causes) and conservationist, once becoming the largest single landowner in the United States.
Jane divorced Ted in 2001 after 10 years of marriage, citing his infidelity in the early years of their marriage, her conversion to Christianity, and their differing directions in life as the reasons.
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