Cbs: Cnn Founder Ted Turner Says He Has Lewy Body Dementia
It’s the disease whose symptoms plagued Robin Williams before his 2014 suicide. It was initially misdiagnosed in Turner, he tells Ted Koppel on this weekend’s “CBS Sunday Morning.”
Ted Turner has Lewy body dementia,;a progressive brain disorder, the CNN founder tells Ted Koppel in an interview to be broadcast this weekend on CBS Sunday;Morning.
“It’s a mild case of what people have as Alzheimer’s. It’s similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimer’s is fatal,” Turner, 79, tells Koppel in an excerpt of the interview released Friday by CBS News.;”Thank goodness I don’t have that. But, I also have got, let’s the one that’s I can’t remember the name of it.”
After a pause, according to CBS, Turner said, “Dementia. I can’t remember what my disease is.”
Turner, who was interviewed on his ranch in Bozeman, Mont., reported his symptoms to be forgetfulness and fatigue. But as CBS News notes, he has; been “known for going through euphoric highs and dark lows, which were initially diagnosed as symptoms of manic depression. Turner says that was a misdiagnosis.”
According to the LBDA, “Lewy body dementia is an umbrella term for dementia associated with the presence of Lewy bodies in the brain.”;Symptoms vary, and are treatable, according to the LBDA.
Cnn Founder Ted Turner Says He Has Lewy Body Dementia
CNN founder Ted Turner is opening up;about living with Lewy body dementia.
The 79-year-old media mogul spoke;to Ted Koppel in a new interview set to air this Sunday on CBS Sunday Morning;about how the progressive brain disorder has affected;him.
Its a mild case of what people have as Alzheimers,” Turner says, after revealing that he was initially misdiagnosed with manic depression.;”Its similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimers is fatal.
Thank goodness I dont have that,” he adds. “But, I also have got, lets –;;the one thats — I cant remember the name of it… dementia. I cant remember what my disease is.
Turner shares that he’s tired, exhausted and forgetful as a result of the disease, which, the Mayo Clinic notes, is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Its symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, can also include movement disorders, sleep difficulties and depression.
During the interview, Turner also discusses what he makes of the news today and why he didn’t ever run for office — something, he says, had much to do with his third wife, actress , who;he was married to from 1991 to 2001.
Well, the closest I came to running for office was when I was married to Jane Fonda. And when I discussed it with her –;she was married to one politician, Turner tells Koppel of Fonda’s second husband, Tom Hayden. And she said, you know, If you run for, for office, you run alone.
Robin Williams Died Undiagnosed
A case in point is the beloved actor and comedian Robin Williams who took his own life in 2014. Williams, who was battling depression hanged himself in his home in;Paradise Cay, in California. He was 63.
Williams had been seen by many doctors, undergone a myriad of tests, but his symptoms were misdiagnosed as;Parkinsons disease.;The actor started taking the appropriate medication for Parkinson’s, but to no avail. His wife, Susan Schneider Williams, revealed:;
The motor specialist said it was early and mild and that hed be feeling better once he adjusted to the medications, he had another 10 good years.
Robin Williams at the MTV’s Total Request Livein New York on April 27, 2006 | Source: Getty Inages
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Cable News Pioneer Ted Turner Reveals He Suffers From Dementia
Ted Turner, the billionaire founder of cable news channel CNN, says he is suffering from a form of dementia that leaves him exhausted and forgetful.
Turner, 79, told CBS in an interview that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder.
“Its a mild case of what people have as Alzheimers. Its similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimers is fatal,” Turner told journalist Ted Koppel in an interview to be broadcast on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
CBS on Friday released advance excerpts of the interview, which was conducted at Turner’s ranch in Montana earlier this year.
Turner’s office confirmed the diagnosis to Reuters.
“Thank goodness I dont have that . But, I also have got, lets the one that’s I cant remember the name of it,” Turner said.
“Dementia. I cant remember what my disease is,” he added.
Ted Turner Is Battling Lewy Body Dementia The Cnn Founder Revealed In An Interview That Will Air Over The Weekend Turner Told Veteran Newsman Ted Koppel That He Has A Mild Case Of What People Have As Alzheimer’s
“It’s similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimer’s is fatal,” Turner said in an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning.” “Thank goodness I don’t have that. But, I also have got, let’s — the one that’s — I can’t remember the name of it.”
He then paused before saying, “Dementia. I can’t remember what my disease is.” A spokesperson for Turner confirmed the CBS report.
Koppel conducted the interview, which will air this Sunday, at Turner’s ranch in Montana. Turner said he feels “tired” and “exhausted” as a result of disorder. “That’s the main symptoms, and, forgetfulness,” he said.
A true broadcasting pioneer, he led Turner Broadcasting System before launching CNN in 1980, ushering in a new era and laying the foundation for other cable news networks. In 1996, he sold CNN as well as the rest of Turner Broadcasting, to Time Warner. But his connection to the company faded in the years that followed, as he turned critical of Time Warner’s doomed merger with AOL.
Turner is also the chairman of Turner Enterprises, which manages his business interests in ranching and philanthropy.
By 2003 he stepped down as vice chairman at AOL Time Warner, saying that the merger cost him “seven or eight billion” dollars.
But his legacy at CNN continues to cast a long shadow. In 2015, Turner recorded a message for an event marking CNN’s 35th anniversary.
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He Is A Philanthropist
As a very wealthy man, Ted Turner has become a philanthropist and has supported many good causes over the years. He founded the Turner Foundation in 1990 with the aim of preserving and conserving the environment throughout the world, says KIMT3 News. In the 1990s, Turner gave $1 billion to the United Nations. At that time, it was one of the biggest philanthropic gestures ever made. In 2001, he donated $31 million to the United States government so that they could pay off a debt to the United Nations. He has also pledged to give $10 million of his fortune to the United Nations every year until his death.
He Had A Cameo In A Film
Despite being known for his business prowess and not his acting skills, Ted Turner has had a cameo role in a film. He played a soldier in the 2003 biographical drama film Gods and Generals. This film was written and directed by Ron Maxwell. Set during the Civil War, the film is based on the book of the same name by Jeffrey M. Shaara. The movie starred Stephen Lang, Robert Duvall, and Jeff Daniels.
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Ted Turner Has What Lewy Body Dementia Explained
Stay up to date with the latest medical news and research at UHealth.
CNN founder Ted Turners recent announcement that he was battling Lewy Body Dementia has focused much-needed public interest; on a progressive brain disease that too often gets forgotten when compared to the better-known Alzheimers.
Turner, 79, recently told Ted Koppel on CBS Sunday Morning that he was experiencing both physical exhaustion and memory difficulties as a result of this dementia so much so, in fact, that he wasnt even able to recall the name of the disease that was affecting him.
“It’s a mild case of what people have as Alzheimer’s. It’s similar to that, but not nearly as bad,” Turner said, as he struggled for the proper medical label. “Alzheimer’s is fatal.; Thank goodness I don’t have that. But I also have got let’s I can’t remember the name of it.”
That scene on the news show, the forgetfulness and fatigue, is typical of LBD, says Dr. Elizabeth A. Crocco, a geriatric psychiatrist with the University of Miami Health System.; It is the second most commonly diagnosed dementia and it shares many of the same symptoms of both Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases, making it particularly difficult to diagnose.
Twenty years ago, we thought it was a variant of Alzheimers, she adds, and its not unusual, even now, for me to see patients who were initially diagnosed with Parkinsons or Alzheimers .
Ted Turner The Founder Of Cnn Has Revealed He Has Lewy Body Dementia
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Look Inside Ted Turners House In Florida
This article originally appeared in the July 2004 issue of Architectural Digest.
Restless and dauntless, combustible and rumbustious, eleemosynary to a degree , televisionary to a tee , uninhibited and unrepeatable, and, with his dimpled chin and Clark Gable mustache, still impudently, swashbuckling-ly handsome, Ted Turner remains a character whose accomplishments and ways of being challenge our credulity. The man who minted the initials that fill every one of the world’s waking hoursCNN has made a place for himself in contemporary mythology.
But it was to the mythology of yore that he turned for a special name to grace the plantation outside Tallahassee that he purchased in the mid-1980s. That he finally had a realm of his own led him naturally back to the storybook world of King Arthur, in which he has always pictured himself imaginatively and to which he in fact belongs romantically. My first thought was to call it Camelot, Turner says, but on second thought, that was a little too corny, so I gave it another Arthurian nameAvalon. My Avalon is also a mystical place. Situated in the Red Hills region of north Florida, it is not only a naturalist’s paradise but a historic property, established as the Welaunee cotton plantation by a member of the distinguished Gamble family of Virginia in 1826.
He Has Won Multiple Awards
Throughout his life, Turner has enjoyed many achievements, and he has received various awards in recognition of these. In 1991, Time Magazine named him the Man of the Year, and he was the first media figure to be given this accolade. He was then awarded the Peabody Award in 1998, followed by the Sports Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. The following year, he was the recipient of the News & Documentary Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 2004.
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Ted Turner Reveals He Has Lewy Body Dementia
CNN founder tells Ted Koppel he was originally misdiagnosed as manic depressive
Turner Broadcasting creator Ted Turner reveals he is battling Lewy body dementia in an interview with Ted Koppel for CBS Sunday Morning.
Lewy body dementia is a progressive brain disorder that affects memory and other cognitive functions. Turner says he is tired,exhausted and deals with forgetfulness. Lewy body dementia is a disease actor Robin Williams suffered from;before his death, the late actors wife said.
The CNN founder said he was originally misdiagnosed as manic depressive.
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Its a mild case of what people have as Alzheimers. Its similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimers is fatal, Turner tells Koppel in the CBS News interview. Thank goodness I dont have that. But, I also have got, lets the one thats I cant remember the name of it.
After a pause, Turner adds, Dementia. I cant remember what my disease is.
Read more from the interview here. Watch a snippet via the video above.
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Also during his conversation with Koppel, Turner suggested CNN is perhaps stickin with politics a little too much these days.
CBS Sunday Morning airs Sundays from 9 a.m. ET to 10:30 a.m. ET on CBS.
Turner Has Several Nicknames
Ted Turners full name is Robert Edward Turner III. He was named after his father, Robert Edward Turner II. He has always been known as Ted, which is short for his middle name, Edward. He has also been given several nicknames over the years that relate to various aspects of his personality or his business style. Some of the nicknames by which he is known include Terrible Ted, Captain Outrageous, and Mouth of the South.
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He Owns The Rights To Thousands Of Films
Ted Turner bought MGM/UA for $1.5 billion in 1986. This meant that he owned the rights to thousands of films and the television library. Although he sold the company back to investor Kirk Kerkorian, Turner retained the rights to many of the premerger films and television library. One of the films for which he owns the television rights is the classic film Gone with the Wind.
The Dangers Of Misdiagnosis
According to Loeb, LBD is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or other illnesses. Being misdiagnosed can be dangerous, she says, because people with LBD are sensitive to medications, and the wrong drugs may cause severe reactions, such as hallucinations or worse. The correct diagnosis is crucial to a better quality of life.
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Inside The Brain Of A Person With Lewy Body Dementia
Like Alzheimers disease, Lewy body dementia is caused by abnormal protein deposits in the brain. While Alzheimers is linked to tau and amyloid proteins, Lewy body dementia is associated with a protein called alpha-synuclein.
In a healthy person, alpha-synuclein helps neurons communicate by producing chemicals called neurotransmitters, including two key ones: acetylcholine and dopamine.
But when alpha-synuclein begins to accumulate inside neurons, forming clumps called Lewy bodies, neurons no longer function adequately and begin to die.
This impacts thinking, memory, behavior, sleep, mood, and movement.
There are two forms of;Lewy body dementia, both characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies in the brain:
- Dementia with Lewy bodies
- Parkinsons disease dementia
Dementia with Lewy bodies typically begins with cognitive symptoms, while Parkinsons disease dementia generally starts with physical symptoms.
Over time, however, people with either condition begin to show the same constellation of symptoms.
Lewy bodies are named for Friedrich Lewy, an eminent German-born neurologist. In 1912, he discovered the abnormal protein deposits now called Lewy bodies in the brains of people with Parkinsons disease.
Is Lewy Body Disease In Dementia Treatable
by Dr. Dana Flavin | Nov 26, 2018 | Health Matters |
Recently it was announced that CNN founder Ted Turner is battling Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder that affects memory as well as other cognitive functions.
The core problem in all deteriorating neurological diseases, whether if its Parkinsons, LBD or Alzheimers, is all the same: neuro-inflammation.
With our present knowledge. we can not only stop the disease, but potentially reverse the damage to help repair the brain. We know from Neuropharmacology that the brain is very neuroplastic, meaning it can change and repair itself.
However, without stopping the inflammation, the brain wont be able to reverse disease. Therefore stopping the inflammation is first and foremost.
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Are You At Risk For A Violent Sleep Disorder
But experts believe Lewy body dementia may be widely underdiagnosed because some of its symptoms resemble those of Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, or psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.
Researchers have also begun to recognize that many people diagnosed with Alzheimers disease may also have Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, or all three forms of dementia simultaneously ;a condition called mixed dementia.
As with other types of dementia, Lewy body dementia causes severe loss of cognitive ability that interferes with a persons everyday activities.
Researchers are working to better understand why some people develop Lewy body dementia.
They do know that this disease typically affects men and women over age 50. Other risk factors include having Parkinsons disease or a condition called REM sleep behavior disorder.
REM sleep behavior disorder causes people to physically act out vivid, sometimes violent dreams sometimes yelling, flailing, or punching bed partners while they remain asleep.
Lewy body dementia is not considered a genetic illness , but having a relative with the disease seems to increase risk.