Ted Turner reveals Lewy body dementia diagnosis

Ted Turner recently revealed that he is suffering from Lewy body dementia.

Turner, 79, talked to Ted Koppel during an episode of CBS Sunday Morning that will air on 9/30. Deadline reported on Turner’s comments regarding his diagnosis.

“It’s a mild case of what people have as Alzheimer’s,” Turner reportedly said. “It’s similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimer’s is fatal. Thank goodness I don’t have that.” It was reported at one point during the interview, Turner paused and was unable to remember what his disease was.

Turner was responsible for bringing pro wrestling to TBS the early 1970s. Turner Broadcasting eventually purchased Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988, which would later become World Championship Wrestling. It was Turner who approved a two hour block of wrestling, which would go on to be WCW Nitro, to square off against WWE Raw head to head on Monday nights in the fall of 1995. The two television shows battled for ratings supremacy for several years.

After Time Warner, the parent company of Turner Broadcasting merged with AOL in 2001, Turner found himself with diminished power within the conglomerate. After being battered in the ratings for several years, along with massive financial losses, WCW Nitro and sister show Thunder were cancelled in March of 2001, with WCW being sold to WWE shortly after. Turner did not attempt to get back into wrestling after WCW’s demise.