Barbara Jill Walters was an American radio journalist and television personality who lived from September 25, 1929, until December 30, 2022. She appeared as a host on a number of television shows, including Today, the ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The View. She is well-known for her ability to conduct interviews and for her popularity with viewers.
1951 saw Walters begin her career as a journalist, and she retired in 2015. In addition to being inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1989, Walters was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NATAS in 2000.
Is Barbara Walters Still Alive?
At the age of 93, Walters passed away at her Manhattan residence on December 30, 2022. It had been dementia that had been plaguing her in her later years. “I had a great life – no regrets,” she said in her final breath. Her gravestone at Lakeside Memorial Park in Doral, Florida bears the words engraved on it.
The end of 2021 was the death of Betty White. Now, the end of 2022 is Barbara Walters. Iconic women 💔 pic.twitter.com/2ztrOB9QEk
— Wynn Westmoreland CNN (@WynnWs) December 31, 2022
What Was Barbara Walters’ Cause of Death?
Walters’ official cause of death is unknown, however, TMZ said that she had been in “declining health for several years.” Walters discussed her health before her death. Walters said she was having aortic valve surgery on The View in 2010.
You know how I always say to you how healthy I am? … I’ve never missed a day’s work,” she said. “Later this week, I’m going to have surgery to replace one faulty heart valve. Lots of people have done this, and I have known about this condition for a while now She was given a 50/50 chance of survival in two years without open-heart surgery.” She rejoined The View four months after surgery.
Walters tumbled downstairs and injured her forehead covering President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in Washington D.C. in January 2013. She missed the rest of the inauguration week and several days the following week due to the injury.
In the 2019 book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View, Ramin Setoodeh revealed that Walters’ health difficulties became known to The View crew members a year before she departed the show in 2014. “One day, just as the show ended, she collapsed into the arms of a stage manager,” Setoodeh wrote. She was escorted to the green room and laid on a sofa. The crew contacted paramedics.”
Walters was “concerned that the sight of her on a stretcher would make it into the papers,” but she saw a doctor and returned to The View the next morning, according to Setoodeh. “Barbara acted like business as usual,” Setoodeh wrote. Walters had memory loss in her later years, which is why fans hadn’t heard of her until her death, Setoodeh wrote for Variety.
“If she could have worked forever, Barbara would never have left TV. He wrote that her health declined in her late 80s. We haven’t heard from her in a few years because she had memory loss in her latter years.
After all, Barbara Walters could not have been silenced by anything short of harsh treatment. She always feared being forgotten after leaving TV. It would never happen. Barbara earned her place in history and rumor, unlike the men’s anchors she trampled over for exclusives.
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Legacy and Awards
When Walters started her career, it was widely believed by television producers that audiences would not take seriously women covering politics, war, and other serious issues. Future female network anchors like Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, and Jane Pauley are said to have benefited from her success.
Walters frequently asked her interview subjects to share experiences and discuss their points of view. In 1989, she was admitted into the Television Hall of Fame. Walters was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 15, 2007.
She was honored with a GLAAD Excellence in Media award, a Women in Film Lucy Award, and Daytime and Prime Time Emmy Awards. The Walt Disney Company, the company that controls the network ABC, bestows the Disney Legends award upon individuals who have made a noteworthy contribution.
Walters received this accolade in 2008. She was given the New York Women’s Agenda Lifetime Achievement Award in that same year. Walters received a Lifetime Achievement Award on September 21, 2009, at the 30th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, held at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Gilda Radner’s subdued portrayal of Walters as “Baba Wawa” on Saturday Night Live in the late 1970s, which highlighted Walters’ unique speech pattern, especially her rounded “R’s,” demonstrated Walters’ prominence in popular culture. In the New York Times Monday Crossword Puzzle from January 23, 1995, her name and picture are included.
