Flowers placed on Ted Turner’s star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Ted Turner, the brash sportsman and entrepreneur whose ambition and instincts led to a media empire that included groundbreaking news network CNN, has died, CNN reported on Wednesday (May 6) citing a press release from Turner Enterprises. He was 87.

On Thursday (May 7) a ceremonial wreath was placed in front of Ted Turner's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles and passersby stopped to pay their respects.

"With the 24 hour news, he was the first person to do that. And before that, we only had news available to us at noon, six and 11. And otherwise, you had to try and read the paper, things like that. He created all of that, which gave us, to be able to see what was happening right then at the time." said Brian Donnelly, 69, after photographing the wreath and star along bustling Hollywood Boulevard. 

As a "televisionary," Turner was named Man of the Year in 1991 by Time magazine for "influencing the dynamic of events and turning viewers in 150 countries into instant witnesses of history."

Turner was married and divorced three times and had five children. His third marriage, to actor Jane Fonda, which lasted 10 years, ended in 2001.

Forbes estimates Turner's fortune at $2.8 billion.

-Arafat Barbakh, Matt M. McKnight/Reuters