Jane Fonda is paying her respects to Ted Turner.
The Youth actress—who was married to the CNN founder for 10 years until their 2001 divorce—broke her silence after he died on May 6 at 87.
“I loved Ted with all my heart,” she wrote on Instagram May 6. “He swept into my life, a gloriously handsome, deeply romantic, swashbuckling pirate and I’ve never been the same. He needed me. 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.”
In addition to having “a big life, a brilliant mind and a soaring sense of humor,” Jane appreciated the way he cared for her.
“That was new as well. To be needed and cared for simultaneously is transformative,” she wrote. “Ted Turner helped me believe in myself. 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.”
Of course, he also had a strength for business, as she explained, “Next to Katharine Hepburn, Ted was the most competitive person I have ever met and that was fascinating to witness.”
