World-class journalist, bold conversationalist, anchor and program host Barbara Walters has died Friday night at her New York home at the age of 93.
Walters blazed the trail as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a career remarkable variety
Her publicist Cindi Berger said in a statement, “She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women.”
“Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself,” Bob Iger, the CEO of ABC parent The Walt Disney Company said in a statement.
For nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, Walters had exclusive interviews with notable leaders, top entertainers and trendsetters which gave her cult following and celebrity status.
Walters hit the headlines in 1976 as the first female network news anchor, with an unprecedented $1 million salary.
“I never expected this!” Walters said in 2004, taking stock of her success. “I always thought I’d be a writer for television. I never even thought I’d be in front of a camera.”
Late in her career, she gave infotainment a new twist with “The View,” a live ABC weekday program with an all-female panel. Following that side venture and unexpected hit, Walters considered “The View” the “dessert” of her career.
A statement from the show said Walters created “The View” in 1997 “to champion women’s voices.”
She was intrepid yet in her unfiltered elements on camera, especially when shooting questions at notables.
Waters taped her final episode of “The View” in May 2014 amid much fun to end a five-decade career in television.