Barbara Walters, pioneering lournalist and queen of celebrity interviews, has passed away at 93 R.I.P
Barbara Walters, a pioneer as US television news' first woman superstar, has died, according to American TV network ABC News. She was 93.
Walters's death was announced by the US network on air on Friday night (local time) and confirmed by her publicist in a statement.
Walters, who appeared on and created the popular women's talk show The View in 1997, died on Friday at her home in New York, Robert Iger, chief executive of ABC's parent company, the Walt Disney Company, said on Twitter.
Iger described Walters as a "one-of-a-kind reporter" who was a "true legend" and pioneer of journalism.
During nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, Walters's exclusive interviews with rulers, royalty and entertainers brought her celebrity status that ranked with theirs, while placing her at the forefront of the trend in broadcast journalism that made stars of TV reporters and brought news programs into the race for higher ratings.
Walters made headlines in 1976 as the first female US network news anchor, with an unprecedented $US1 million annual salary that drew gasps and criticism.
Her drive was legendary as she competed — not just with rival networks, but with colleagues at her own network — for each big "get" in a world jammed with more and more interviewers, including female journalists who had followed on the trail she blazed.
"I never expected this," Walters said in 2004, taking measure of her success.
abc.net.au
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