She was 93. ABC first reported the news during a live special. “We were all influenced by Barbara Walters,” ABC News’ David Muir said in a tribute Friday, remembering her as an “extraordinary human being, journalist, pioneer, legend.” “She broke barriers behind the scenes and she broke news on-camera. She got people to say things they never would’ve said to another journalist,” he added. Her publicist confirmed she died in her New York home, per Variety. Walters’ media career spanned five decades. She began her career on The Today Show in the early 1960s as a writer and a segment producer of women’s interest stories. She became the first female co-host in 1974, however, she made waves in 1976 when she joined ABC News as the first female anchor on an evening news program. The TV icon continued shattering the glass ceiling in a male-dominated industry, going on to become co-host of 20/20 and launching The View in 1997. Her final appearance as co-host of the controversial talk show was in 2014, though she continued to serve as executive producer. Known as the queen of celebrity interviews, she interviewed some of the most prominent and controversial figures in the world, from Katharine Hepburn to Monica Lewinsky to Cuban president Fidel Castro. Her “Barbara Walters Specials” remained the top-rated broadcasts for years. Per ABC News, she also interviewed every U.S. president and first lady from the Nixons to the Obamas. Throughout her trailblazing career, she amassed 12 Emmy awards, with 11 of those during her tenure at ABC News. Upon her retirement in 2015, she said: ““I do not want to appear on another program or climb another mountain.I want instead to sit on a sunny field and admire the very gifted women—and OK, some men too—who will be taking my place.”
