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

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

A statement released Saturday by his family 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 broadcasting includes the launch of Home Box Office in 1972, later known as HBO, and the founding of Cablevision in 1973 and the television station American Movie Classics in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first 24-hour cable channel for local news in the United States, Newsday reported.

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

Dolan, whose primary home was in Cove Neck Village on Long Island, New York, also held controlling stakes 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 CEO from 1995 until the 2016 sale to Altice. He is now Executive Chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. The company owns the Knicks and Rangers franchises, among other properties, according to the MSG Sports website.

Newsday, which Cablevision bought in 2008, also came under Altice’s control with the sale. Patrick Dolan, another son of Charles Dolan, led a group there bought back 75% of Newsday Media Group in July 2016. Patrick Dolan then bought the remaining 25 per cent 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 is survived by six children, 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. His wife, Helen Ann Dolan, died in 2023, Newsday reported.