Barbara Walters, a journalist, TV legend and pioneering broadcaster, has died at the age of 93.
In a statement posted to social media, Robert Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said Walters passed away at her home in New York on Friday.
“She was a one-of-a-kind reporter who landed many of the most important interviews of our time from heads of state and leaders of regimes to the biggest celebrities and sports icons,” Iger’s statement read.
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“Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women,” said publicist Cindi Berger in a statement to the Associated Press.
Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first female network news anchor.
She is survived by her only daughter, Jacqueline Danforth.
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Walters started The View in 1997 on ABC with an all-female panel – a show that continues to this day.
She taped her last episode in May, 2014, which ended a five-decade career in television. However, she did continue to make appearances on TV.
While Walters is remembered for blazing a trail for female journalists and broadcasters, it was not an easy road for her to navigate.
She was first hired in 1961 by NBC for a short-term writing project on the Today show. Shortly after that, she was given some opportunities on television with offbeat and quirky stories but it was her knack for securing first interviews with notable people that really put her on the map.
She had the first interview with Rose Kennedy after the assassination of her son, Robert, along with Princess Grace of Monaco, President Richard Nixon and many others.
It wasn’t until ABC News gained a new president, Roone Arledge, that Walters moved from being a co-anchor into special projects for the network.
She then became a frequent contributor to the news magazine, 20/20 and became a co-host of the popular show in 1984.
-With files from The Associated Press
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