Broadcast journalist Barbara Walters has died at 93 years old, ABC News has reported. The reporter broke ground in the industry and was most notably a broadcaster at ABC News in the ’70s. Like most fields, it was (and still mostly is) dominated by men, but people like Walters opened the door for more people, particularly women trying to get into reporting.
In 1976, Barbara Walters joined ABC News in 1976, leading to her career in broadcast journalism. She was the first woman anchor for any evening news show. She co-hosted 20/20 in 1979 and created The View in 1997. Across those decades, she had 1 Emmy out of 12 total nominations and one honor. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
She died at her home of an unannounced illness. She had reportedly been having health issues for numerous years.
Groundbreaking broadcast journalist Barbara Walters died
For a career that dated back over 40 years ago, broadcast journalist Barbara Walters had a large portion of the final years of her career at The View. She ended her time as a co-host in 2014 but would pop back up occasionally for interviews and specials at ABC. She continued acting as an executive producer.
While she became known in her field, she had grown up around spotlights. Born in Boston on September 25, 1929, her parents, Dena and Louis Walters brought her up around the entertainment industry. Her father was an agent and nightclub producer. He represented comedian Fred Allen and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, Jack Haley.
Upon her career in broadcast journalism, Barbara Walters graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She started as a publicist and TV scribe. That experience led her to become a writer on the Today show on NBC, leading her to become the first woman co-host in 1974.
She is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline, named after her older sister.
