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CNN founder and media mogul Ted Turner was hospitalized due to pneumonia in January, and is now recovering in a rehab center in his home state of Florida.
A representative for the successful entrepreneur, 86, told TMZ that he had suffered from a "mild case of pneumonia," but that he "expects a full recovery."
This news comes six years after the legendary businessman, who founded CNN in addition to TNT and TBS, was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia, the same disease that Robin Williams was diagnosed with before the actor committed suicide in 2014.
The National Institute on Aging defines Lewy Body Dementia as "a disease associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits, called Lewy bodies, affect chemicals in the brain whose changes, in turn, can lead to problems with thinking, movement, behavior, and mood," and says it is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's. Pneumonia, for its part, is a long infection that has both a higher incidence and more severe symptoms in senior citizens, according to Web MD. It is most likely to impact people who already have health issues.
Despite these health challenges, Turner's representative says that he is "resilient" and that he remains "engaged in professional and personal endeavors."
Turner's net worth is estimated at 2.5 billion by Forbes. His wealth saw a significant hit after Time Warner, which now owns Turner Broadcasting, bought AOL in 2001, causing shares to drop, but he also has donated a large part of his fortune to charity over the years. In addition to his business endeavors and philanthropy, he is the founder and chair of the United Nations Foundation board of directors. The entrepreneur has five children and has been married three times, notably to actress Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001.
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