Barbara Walters, one of the most famous American broadcast journalists, has died at the age of 93 on Friday evening, according to ABC News, her former employer. A cause of death was not provided immediately.
Though a celebrity as much as anyone she covered, Walters pursued serious subjects as well. She was an unexpected pathbreaker. And If you remember Walters as a journalist who blurred the lines between news and entertainment, there is some truth to that.
She easily delivered lines like these to introduce Hollywood’s “it” couple for her special, “The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006” saying, “Those lips, those eyes, that body. When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met on the set of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith,’ it set off Hollywood’s hottest romance.”
Whether she was interviewing celebrities or the first couple, her questions were often direct.
In a Thanksgiving special with President Barack Obama and the first lady Michelle Obama, Walters asked the first lady, “You love him very much, don’t you?” (NPR – David Folkenflik)
Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929 – December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including Today, The View, 20/20, and the ABC Evening News. Walters was a working journalist from 1951 until her retirement in 2015.
Walters continued to host her 10 Most Fascinating People series on ABC in 2014 and 2015. Her last on-air interview was with Donald Trump for ABC News in December 2015, and she made her final public appearance in 2016. (Wikipedia)
