Jane Fonda pays tribute to 'brilliant' ex-husband Ted Turner
Movie star Jane Fonda has paid tribute to Ted Turner, her ex-husband.
Jane Fonda has paid a heartfelt tribute to her ex-husband Ted Turner.
The CNN founder passed away on Wednesday (05.06.26), aged 87, and Jane, his ex-wife, has taken to social media to pay tribute, hailing his "brilliant mind" and "soaring sense of humor".
The Hollywood actress - who was married to Ted between 1991 and 2001 - wrote on Instagram: "MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS ABOUT TED He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same. 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. (sic)"
Jane, 88, praised her ex-husband for filling her with confidence, too.
She continued: "He could also take care of me. 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. 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. (sic)"
Jane also described Ted as a "fascinating" man.
The movie star added: "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."
