Barbara Walters, the trailblazing news broadcaster and longtime ABC News anchor and correspondent died Friday, her spokesperson confirmed.
She was 93.
There is no immediate word on the cause of Walter’s death.
"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," representative Cindi Berger said in a statement.
Walters began her career on The Today Show in the early 1960s as a writer and segment producer of women's interest stories. She first joined ABC News in 1976 and became the first female anchor on an evening news program. Three years later, she became the co-host of 20/20 and in 1997, she launched The View.
She also became known for an annual special aired on ABC, Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People. Walters interviewed every sitting U.S. president and first lady from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama. She interviewed Donald Trump and Joe Biden, though not as presidents.
Walters received multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for best talk show host for her work on “The View,” winning in 2003 and 2009, and she also received multiple Primetime Emmy nominations for her specials, winning in 1983. She also won a Daytime Emmy in 1975 for “Today” and shared a News and Documentary Emmy for her work at ABC.
Walters was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1989, and in 2007 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2000.
She continued to host a number of special reports for 20/20 as well as documentary series for Investigation Discovery. Her final on-air appearance for ABC News was in 2015.
"Barbara was a trailblazer, a singular force who opened the door for every woman in television news. She was also the history maker right down the hall-my friend and road buddy, eager to talk about the news of the world, the decades of passionate work-the curiosity, and laughter that get us all through. Sadness. Gratitude. And a salute from all of us who know what we owe her," ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer said in a statement.
Walters was born September 25, 1929, in Boston. Her father Lou Walters was a nightclub owner and theatrical impresario. She earned her college degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1953.
Walters was married four times, to business executive Robert Katz, producer Lee Guber and twice to entertainment mogul Merv Adelson. The second marriage to Adelson ended in 1992. She is survived by her daughter, Jackie, whom she and Guber adopted in 1968.
