Charles Dolan, founder of HBO and Cablevision, dies at 98

AP
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Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most significant U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98, according to a news report.

A statement released by his family on Saturday said Dolan died of natural causes, Newsday reported late Saturday.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father and patriarch Charles Dolan, the visionary founder of HBO and Cablevision,” the statement said.

Dolan’s legacy in cable television includes the launch of Home Box Office, later known as HBO, in 1972, as well as the founding of Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television network in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City first 24-hour cable local news channel in the US, Newsday reported.

The Cleveland native, who dropped out of John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland, completed the sale of Cablevision to Altice, a European telecommunications and cable company, in June 2016 for $17.7 billion.

Dolan, whose primary residence was in Cove Neck Village on New York’s Long Island, also held controlling interests in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, Newsday reported.

James L. Dolan, one of his sons, was Cablevision’s CEO from 1995 until its sale to Altice in 2016. Today he is chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. The company owns the Knicks and Rangers franchises, among others, according to the MSG Sports website.

Newsday, which bought Cablevision in 2008, also came under Altice’s control with the sale. Patrick Dolan, another son of Charles Dolan, led a group that bought back 75% of Newsday Media Group in July 2016. Patrick Dolan then bought the remaining 25% stake in 2018.

At the time of his death, Charles Dolan and his family had a net worth of $5.4 billion, Forbes reported.

Dolan was founder and chairman emeritus of the Lustgarten Foundation in Uniondale, New York, which conducts pancreatic cancer research.

He leaves behind six children, 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, died in 2023, Newsday reported.