HBO and Cablevision founder Charles F Dolan dies at 98

Charles F Dolan

, the pioneering media entrepreneur who founded Home Box Office (

HBO

) and

Cablevision Systems Corp

, has passed away at the age of 98. His family confirmed his death due to natural causes in a statement on Saturday, reported Newsday.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved father and patriarch, Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision,” the statement read.
Dolan transformed the television industry with groundbreaking innovations. In 1972, he launched HBO, the first premium cable channel, offering exclusive content to paying subscribers. A year later, he founded Cablevision, which grew into a major player in the cable industry.
In 1984, Dolan introduced the

American Movie Classics

(AMC) network, and he later launched

News 12

, the first 24-hour local news channel in the United States, according to Newsday.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dolan began his career producing sports newsreels before moving to New York City in 1952. There, he ventured into industrial filmmaking and cable television, laying the groundwork for his revolutionary contributions to the media landscape.

Expanding a media empire

Dolan's influence extended beyond cable television. His family-controlled businesses owned

Madison Square Garden

, Radio City Music Hall, and sports franchises like the

New York Knicks

and Rangers.
In 2016, Dolan sold Cablevision to Altice, a European telecommunications company, for $17.7 billion. The sale also included Newsday, which Dolan had purchased in 2008.
Dolan’s family legacy continues through his children, including James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., and Patrick Dolan, who repurchased Newsday Media Group after the sale to Altice.

Personal life and philanthropy

Dolan was deeply committed to

philanthropy

. He served as the chairman emeritus of The Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of

pancreatic cancer research

. He is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, passed away earlier this year.
At the time of his death, Dolan and his family had an estimated net worth of $5.4 billion, according to Forbes. His pioneering work in media continues to influence the television and entertainment industries, cementing his place as a transformative figure in American broadcasting history.