Turkish businessman, media owner Demiroren dead at 79
Turkish businessman Erdogan Demiroren, who recently acquired Turkey's largest media group, has died at age 79.
Istanbul's Florence Nightingale Hospital said Demiroren died Friday of respiratory failure. He had been receiving treatment at the hospital since May 31.
In April, his business group purchased Dogan Media, which includes the Hurriyet newspaper, the mass-circulation daily Posta, and the CNN-Turk and Kanal D television channels. The Demiroren group, with interests in energy and construction, already owned two other newspapers.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised Demiroren as a "valued industrialist and businessman who made important contributions" to Turkey.
Demiroren is survived by his wife and three children, including Yildirim Demiroren, who heads the Turkish soccer federation.
The funeral was scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Sunday.