Entertainment history fans were saddened this past weekend to learn that Hollywood titan and cable television pioneer Charles Dolan had died. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dolan's family told Newsday that he passed away at his home on Saturday. He was 98 years old.

Dolan's business career began six decades ago

The Reporter recalled how Dolan left his native Cleveland and moved to New York where he founded Sterling Manhattan Cable company.

In 1965, the company began providing cable television services to New York City residents who lived in apartment buildings and other locations where antenna reception was poor.

Charles Dolan, the astute businessman who created HBO in the early 1970s before transforming a small cable TV business on Long Island into a multibillion-dollar entertainment, sports and telecom empire, has died. He was 98. https://t.co/AiPGbNGbeN

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 29, 2024

He subsequently developed the idea to offer exclusive programing, resulting in him negotiating a deal with Madison Square Garden to broadcast New York Knicks and New York Rangers games.

"You couldn’t buy the movies and the games unless you also bought the reception," Dolan said in a 2013 interview with the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School.

HBO was originally called The Green Channel

"We wanted to provide a complete television service," he said of the network, which was originally dubbed The Green Channel before being renamed to Home Box Office (HBO).

"There was a discussion, and the first idea was, ‘Well, let’s call it The Home Box [a slang term for the box that delivered broadcast signals to cable homes]," Dolan stated.

"Then somebody said, 'Well, if it’s Home Box and we’re selling movies, why don’t we make it the Home Box Office,'" the cable tycoon continued.

"That’s what it became, and it didn’t take long for that to convert to HBO. Everybody liked that name, and that was the beginning of it," he added.

Dolan remembered for wide-ranging impact

Despite initial challenges, HBO became a successful venture and subsequently led Dolan to create the American Movie Classics (AMC) channel.

Dolans's passing was lamented in a joint statement released by MSG Entertainment, MSG Sports, and Sphere, all of which were companies that he owned.

"The impact he made on the media, sports, and entertainment industries, including as the founder of Cablevision and HBO, is immeasurable," the statement said of Dolan.

"Our thoughts are with the entire Dolan family and the countless people Mr. Dolan influenced throughout his remarkable life," it added.