Barbara Walters, a pioneering television journalist who was the first woman to anchor the evening news, has died aged 93.
Walters, who became a cultural icon during more than 40 years on ABC television, died Friday at her home in New York, according to a a tweet Friday night by Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Co., parent of ABC.
“Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not only for women in journalism, but for journalism itself,” Iger said in a statement. “She was a one-of-a-kind reporter who took on many of the most important interviews of our time, from heads of state to the biggest celebrities and sports icons.”
“Barbara Walters passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a pioneer not only for women journalists, but for all women,” her publicist Cindy Berger said in a statement.
Her death was also announced late Friday by ABC, the network where she worked for nearly four decades. Her interviews with elected officials, heads of state and Hollywood entertainers also gave Walters celebrity status. Along with hosting NBC’s Today and ABC’s 20/20 news programs, she was well known for her frequent specials, such as her annual 10 Most Fascinating People show.
Walters began her broadcasting career in 1961 as a researcher and writer on NBC’s Today show before becoming co-host in 1974. She made headlines in 1976 with her move to ABC, where she was named the first female news anchor. Her five-year contract gives her an unprecedented salary of $1 million.
She was known for asking personal, probing questions of her guests, who would often become emotional and cry on camera. During her legendary career, she interviewed every sitting US president from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama, heads of state such as Cuban President Fidel Castro, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Shah of Iran, as well as artists such as Lucille Ball, Grace Kelly and John Wayne – his last televised interview before he died three months later.
She was also known for her lisp, a speech impediment that cemented her position as a cultural icon when she was parodied in the 1970s as Baba Vava by the late comedian Gilda Radner in a famous Saturday Night Live sketch.
In 2014, Walters retired from The View, a morning television talk show she created in 1997, ending a 53-year career in broadcast journalism that earned her 12 Emmy Awards.