Ted Turner and Jane Fonda.Credit : Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Jane Fonda mourned the death of her ex-husband Ted Turner, who she was married to from 1991 to 2001
“He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” Fonda began in her lengthy tribute
Turner died at age 87 on May 6

Jane Fonda is mourning the death of her ex-husband Ted Turner.

The founder of CNN and Turner Broadcasting System died at age 87, Turner Enterprises confirmed on May 6. In the wake of the news, Fonda, who was married to Turner for ten years before their divorce in 2001, paid tribute to him in a statement shared to Instagram.

“He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” Fonda, 88, began in her lengthy tribute. “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,” she 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.”

“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 said. “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.”

Jane Fonda and Ted Turner.ARNAL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Months prior to Turner’s death in November 2025, Fonda spoke at an event benefiting the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP), which she and her ex-husband founded together. Addressing the audience, she grew emotional as she described Turner’s impact on the charity’s success.

“It was a very challenging time in Georgia. Had I not been with Ted, this was something, had he not stood by me with his love and support, we never would have survived,” Fonda told the crowd. “Ted’s not here, but he is here in my heart and I know he is here in a lot of our hearts.”

Fonda and Turner struck up a romance in 1990, after the actress had split from her second husband, California politician Tom Hayden, that year. They began seeing each other after Turner found Fonda’s number, gave her a call and asked her out

“He wanted to know if I was available to date,” Fonda told PEOPLE in 1990. “I think I said I wasn’t feeling so hot, that he was an interesting guy, too, but I wasn’t feeling peppy.”

Ultimately, Fonda opened up to dating Turner, and their relationship became a point of captivation for the media, as the liberal Hollywood star and the conservative, audacious businessman appeared to be total opposites.

One year after they started dating, Turner and Fonda were married. The ceremony, held on Turner’s 8,100-acre plantation in Capps, Fla., preceded a honeymoon with their blended family.

“Ted can keep up with me,” Fonda told PEOPLE. “He’s a very, very funny, lovable, complicated person.”

However, their newlywed bliss was soon interrupted when Fonda claimed Turner had been unfaithful, just one month after they got married. They remained together for many years after, though ultimately they just became too different, and in 2000, the couple separated.

Jane Fonda and Ted Turner’s 1991 wedding.Liaison Agency/Getty 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Despite their split, Fonda and Turner remained amicable, with the actress even dubbing Turner “my favorite ex-husband!” at a charity auction in 2001, the year she filed for divorce.

“I still have a very good relationship [with him]” Fonda said in 2008. “Life is too short to be fighting.”

Turner’s professional achievements in media included his invention of the “superstation,” which later became Turner Broadcasting System, and the establishment of CNN as the first 24-hour news network. He was also a noted philanthropist, benefiting the environment and the United Nations.