Jane Fonda reacts to ex-husband Ted Turner’s death

Jane Fonda penned a touching tribute to her ex-husband Ted Turner following his death at age 87 on Wednesday, according to a release from Turner Enterprises.

“MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS ABOUT TED He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same,” the actress began on Instagram that same day.

Fonda, 88, added that her ex, whom she was married to from 1991 to 2001, “needed” her.

“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,” the fitness guru continued.

For Fonda, Turner helped her believe in herself.

“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,” she recounted.

Along with the television producer teaching Fonda everything from “hunting” to “business and strategy,” he was also “the most competitive person” she had ever met next to Katharine Hepburn.

The “Barbarella” star shared, “Ted was challenging, but I’ve always been up for a challenge, and with Ted it was almost always worth it.”

“I loved Ted with all my heart,” Fonda expressed. “I see him in heaven now with all the wildlife he helped bring back from extinction.”

Giving a nod to his children, Laura, Teddy, Rhett, Beau and Jennie, the activist stated, “Five children survive him. Five talented, complex kids who I had the privilege of becoming stepmother to.”

Fonda noted they “all did their best” to create an extended “rag tag family” and as she said, loves them “to this day.”

“If it was complicated being married to him, think about how complicated it was being his child.” Fonda mused. “And they are all doing fine. Rest in Peace dearest Ted. You are loved and you will be remembered.”

Despite divorcing after a decade of marriage, the “Monster-in-Law” actress dubbed Turner her “favorite” former spouse.

While at a charity auction in 2001, Fonda reportedly called out to her former flame, “My favorite ex-husband!”

And in 2018, the “9 to 5” star shared a touching message about Turner after he revealed his Lewy body dementia diagnosis— which is a neurological disorder that causes dementia and muscle failure.

“I will never love anyone like I love him,” she told CNN at the time.

Prior to his death, the media mogul was reportedly in a rehab center in early 2025 after contracting pneumonia. 

The businessman made waves in television for decades after founding Turner Broadcasting System in 1965 and CNN in 1980. He also formerly owned the Atlanta Braves.

President Trump confirmed Turner’s passing on Truth Social Wednesday morning, calling the television pioneer “one of the Greats of All Time” who was “always willing to fight for a good cause.”