Barbara Walters, ‘The View’ Host and Legendary Journalist, Dead at 93

It’s been reported that legendary journalist and former The View host Barbara Walters has passed away at the age of 93. According to ABC News, the legendary reporter passed away on Friday in New York City. No cause of death was revealed and Walters had been living out of public view for years, with only some sharing her condition on social media.

Walters was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1929, and as a young woman she Sarah Lawrence College. After graduating with a Journalism degree, she began working in the news industry, eventually landing a job with the Today show in the early 1960s.

BREAKING: Barbara Walters, who shattered the glass ceiling and became a dominant force in an industry once dominated by men, has died. She was 93. https://t.co/tydwREgTb2 pic.twitter.com/b4jOEHVYFE

— ABC News (@ABC) December 31, 2022

Walters later went on to appear on the ABC Evening News, and also made a name for herself on the newsmagazine series 20/20, where she sat down for many iconic celebrity and political interviews.

In 1997, Walters helped create the View, which has since gone on to become one of the biggest daytime talk shows of all-time. Walters left the series in 2014, and remained fairly low-key after that.

In Fall 2018, rumors about Walters’ health began to swirl after Radar Online reported that insiders told them that Walters had been spending most of her time alone in her New York City apartment for at least two years. The outlet went onto note, at the time, that Walters reportedly suffered from dementia and heart problems.

“Friends have not spoken with Barbara in two years,” one insider told Radar. “They’re really heartbroken about it, and don’t understand why they can’t visit her.”

Ahead of those rumors, in March, Radar reported that Walters’ dementia has reached an advanced stage. At that time, an insider shared that current View co-host Whoopi Goldberg had visited Walters, but added that Walters did not recognize Goldberg.

“Barbara’s eyes were opened wide, and she was terrified,” the source stated. “Barbara screamed: ‘Who is she? Get out, get out! Help me! Get out.’ She wouldn’t stop. No one could calm her down. Whoopi excused herself from the room. She was heartbroken by what she saw.”

A representative for Walters later told Radar that the journalism icon was “doing fine,” but the source refuted that claim. The source stated that, not only was Walters not doing well, but that her family also feared she could “die any day.” They had even been planning visits for her friends to say goodbye to her, as the source says they were very convinced she did not have much time left.

“The family is hoping the sight of familiar faces brings her some comfort in her final stretch. They have not said anything specific about the end, but many of the meetings have been solemn and teary,” the source said at the time.

Walters was married four times to three different men during her life, but was not married at the time of her death. She is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline Dena Guber.