Ted Turner and Jane Fonda

Ted Turner may have built a global media empire, but jane fonda He remained a little more personal, her “favorite ex-husband.”The 88-year-old actress has often spoken warmly of Turner since his death on Wednesday at the age of 87, saying there was no bitterness between them despite their divorce more than two decades ago.According to Turner Enterprises, Turner died surrounded by family after living with Lewy body dementia for nearly eight years. His death marks the end of a career that reshaped modern television through the creation of CNN, the world’s first 24-hour news network.Fonda was married to Turner from 1991 to 2001, and after their separation, she described their relationship as based on affection and mutual respect. In 2008, she said that she still had a “very good relationship” with him, adding, “Life is too short to fight.”Their connection can be seen in their shared work. A few months before her death, Fonda became emotional while speaking at an event for the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, a charity they founded together in 1995.He said the organization “would never have existed if it weren’t for Ted.”Fonda said in November, “It was a very challenging time in Georgia. If I hadn’t been with Ted, it was something, if he hadn’t stood by me with his love and support, we would never have survived.”She added, “Ted isn’t here, but he’s here in my heart and I know he’s in many of our hearts.”The couple married on Turner’s 8,100-acre estate in Florida and even honeymooned with his children from a previous marriage. But cracks soon began to appear, and Fonda later wrote in her memoir that she discovered he had been unfaithful shortly after their marriage. This marriage ended in 2001.Despite their separation, they continued to appear together at charity events. A year after the divorce, she publicly welcomed him, calling him “my favorite ex-husband!”Turner’s life beyond his relationship with Fonda was defined by bold ambition. He founded CNN in 1980, revolutionized global news with around-the-clock coverage, and later built a media empire that included TNT, TCM and Cartoon Network. CNN’s influence increased during the Gulf War, when it broadcast live conflict coverage around the world for the first time.He was also a prominent philanthropist and conservationist, founding the United Nations Foundation and becoming one of the largest private landowners in the US.