The intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who led the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar has died. She was old.
The death was announced on air.
Barbara was surrounded by loved ones when she died. She lived her life without regret. Her publicist said that she was a pioneer for all women.
The statement from Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, was shared by an ABC spokesman.
During nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, her exclusive interviews with rulers, royalty and entertainers brought her celebrity status that ranked with theirs, while putting her at the forefront of the trend in broadcast journalism that made stars of TV reporters and brought news programs into the race for
The first female network news anchor had an annual salary of $1 million. 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 filled with more and more interviewers.
I didn't think this would happen. She took measure of her success. I thought I would be a writer for TV. I didn't think I'd be in front of a camera
She was a good on camera when she asked questions.
I have no fear when I interview. The AP was told by Walters in 2008.
In a voice that never lost its Boston accent or its substitution of Ws-for-Rs, Walters asked blunt and sometimes giddy questions at each subject.
She asked John Wayne if he liked him, and Lady Bird Johnson was asked if she was jealous of her late husband.
She gave a new twist to daytime television in 1997 with the launch of "The View," a live ABC weekday show with an all-female panel for whom any topic was on the table and who welcomed guests ranging from world leaders to teen idols. "The View" was the "dessert" of her career.
She ended her television career with a final episode of "The View" in May of last year. A group of TV newswomen posing with her for a picture during a commercial break.
"I have to remember this on the good days, because this is the best," he said.
Her career began without any signs of greatness.
She was hired by NBC for a short term writing project. After that, what was seen as the token woman's slot among the staff's eight writers opened, and Walters was hired. She made occasional on-air appearances with offbeat stories such as "A Day in the Life of a Nun" or the plight of a Playboy Bunny. She worked at the Playboy Club wearing bunny ears and high heels.
She was spared the title of "Today" girl that had been attached to her predecessors as she appeared more frequently. She had to pay her dues when she did dog food commercials on the "Today" show.
After the assassination of her son, Robert, she had an interview with Rose Kennedy. She traveled to India with the Kennedys, to China with Nixon, and to Iran with the Shah. The arrival of a new host made a difference. He told her to wait for him to ask three questions before she could open her mouth.
H.R. Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff, was one of the people she produced more exclusive interviews for.
She was earning $700,000 a year at the time she was granted the title of co- host. Her salary was branded as the million-dollar baby when ABC signed her to a five-year contract.
Her job duties would be split between ABC News and the network's entertainment division, according to reports of her deal. Her co-anchor Harry Reasoner resented her high salary and celebrity orientation.
The man didn't want a partner. He was terrible to me, but I don't think he disliked me.
The relationship with her co-anchor wasn't the only problem.
She was satirized as a tacistic commentator named "Baba Wawa" on SNL. After her interview with Jimmy Carter in which she said to be wise with us, she was derided as the first female pope blessing the new cardinal.
It was a time when everything she had worked for seemed to have ended.
I thought it was over, how stupid of me to leave NBC.
ABC News president Roone Arledge moved her out of the co-anchor slot and into specials for ABC News. She found success with her interviews. She co-hosted ABC's newsmagazine "20/20" in 1984 with Hugh Downs. The review of the year's "10 Most Fascinating People" was one of her favorites.
The only person who is left of her is her daughter.
That's right.
The principal writer of this obituary was Moore. A reporter from the Associated Press contributed to the report.
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