Barbara Walters, one of the most visible women on US television as the first female anchor on an American network evening news broadcast and one of television’s most prominent interviewers, has died at the age of 93.
US television network ABC broke into its broadcast to announce Walters’ death on air on Friday night.
“She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women,” her publicist Cindi Berger also said in a statement, adding that Walters died peacefully in her New York home.
The circumstances of her death were not given.
Walters had worked for nearly 40 years at ABC, and previously at NBC, interviewing rulers, royalty and entertainers, bringing her celebrity status and placing her at the forefront of a trend that made stars of television reporters.
“Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself,” said Bob Iger, the CEO of ABC parent, The Walt Disney Company.
“I never thought I’d have this kind of a life,” Walters said in a 2004 Chicago Tribune interview. “I’ve met everyone in the world. I’ve probably met more people, more heads of state, more important people, even almost than any president, because they’ve only had eight years.”
In 1976, Walters made headlines as the first female network news anchor, with an unprecedented $1m salary at ABC. Late in her career, she gave infotainment a new twist with The View, a live ABC weekday show with an all-female panel for whom any topic was on the table and who welcomed guests ranging from world leaders to teen idols.
