TV host Barbara Walters dies at 93

NEW YORK –

Barbara Walters, the intrepid interviewer, anchor and program host who paved the way as the first woman to become a TV news superstar during a network career notable for its length and variety, is deceased. She was 93 years old.

Walters’ death was announced by ABC on the air Friday night and also by his publicist.

« Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones. She lived her life with no regrets. She was a pioneer not just for women journalists, but for all women, » publicist Cindi Berger said in a statement. .

For nearly four decades at ABC, and before that at NBC, Walters’ exclusive interviews with executives, royalty and entertainers brought her celebrity status that ranked with theirs, while placing her at the vanguard of the trend in broadcast journalism that made stars into television journalists. and brought news programs into the race for higher ratings.

Walters made headlines in 1976 as the women’s network’s first news anchor, with an unprecedented $1 million annual salary that drew gasps and criticism (while lost in the outcry were her additional duties extending beyond the news). Her dynamism was legendary as she competed – not just with rival networks, but with colleagues from her own network – for every big « get » in a world jammed with ever-increasing numbers of interviewers, including female journalists. who had followed the trail she had followed. flamed.

« I did not expect that ! » Walters said in 2004, taking the measure of his success. « I always thought I would be a TV writer. I never even thought I would be in front of a camera. »

But she was natural in front of the camera, especially when she asked questions to the notables.

« I’m not afraid when I interview, I’m not afraid! » Walters told The Associated Press in 2008.

Walters is survived by his only daughter, Jacqueline Danforth.

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Moore, a longtime Associated Press television writer who retired in 2017, was the lead author of the obituary. Associated Press reporter Stefanie Dazio contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

In this May 7, 1975 file photo, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, center right, answers a question from U.S. NBC reporter Barbara Walters during a press conference for members of the U.S. press covering the trip of Senator George McGovern to Cuba, in Havana, Cuba. (AP Photo, File)

This May 8, 1980 file photo shows former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon answering a question during an interview by ABC television personality Barbara Walters in New York City. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine, File)

In this Sept. 28, 1994, file photo, « Entertainment Tonight » co-host Mary Hart, left, talks with Barbara Walters at a reception at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City. (AP Photo/Adam Nadel)