EXCLUSIVE: Ted Turner's Will Details — Who Will Inherit 'Crazy' News Pioneer's $2.6 Billion Fortune?

Insiders say Turner believed his fortune had a 'bigger purpose' beyond family wealth.

Ted Turner’s $2.6B fortune isn’t going straight to his kids…

The CNN founder’s plan to give most of it away means his empire will be driven by environmental and philanthropic causes instead.

Robert Edward Turner III – better known as Ted Turner – has died aged 87 after a career that transformed television news, sports broadcasting and environmental philanthropy.

The outspoken entrepreneur, who created CNN in 1980 and later built a vast land empire across the western United States, had publicly vowed for years most of his estate would ultimately be directed toward charitable initiatives.

Turner, estimated to be worth $2.6 billion at the time of his death, had already donated $1 billion to the United Nations during his lifetime and repeatedly said he intended to leave much of his remaining wealth to causes tied to conservation, wildlife and clean energy.