Inside The Last Years Of Barbara Walters' Life

On December 30, the journalism industry lost a legend. Barbara Walters, the broadcast journalist who was famous for being unrelenting with how she interviewed notable politicians, celebrities, and personalities, died at the age of 93.

"So often we toss around the words – icon, legend, trailblazer – but Barbara Walters was all of these – and perhaps above all else, Barbara Walters was brave. She paved the way for so many – we learned from her – and remain in awe of her to this day. RIP, Barbara," David Muir, anchor of "ABC World News Tonight," wrote on Instagram. Oprah Winfrey, who has looked up to Walters her entire life, said she would not be who she is today if it weren't for her role model. "Without Barbara Walters there wouldn't have been me — nor any other woman you see on evening, morning, and daily news," she penned in a post. "She was indeed a Trailblazer... Grateful to have known her. Grateful to have followed in her Light."

Walters was indeed everywhere in her heyday, having been a core part of popular programs, most notably "Today," "20/20," and "ABC Evening News," and, of course, "The View," which she helped create. But in her final years, Walters was rarely seen in public. Her final public appearance was in 2016, when she attended the opening night of "The Father" at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City, per Page Six. As it turns out, it may be largely because of the illness she struggled with.

Barbara Walters left the spotlight on a high note. "I do not want to appear on another program or climb another mountain," she said in 2014 (via CNBC). "I want instead to sit on a sunny field and admire the very gifted women — and OK, some men, too — who will be taking my place."

In the years since her retirement, sources say that she struggled with dementia and refused to have anyone witness her in an unpleasant state. "Barbara suffers from exhaustion and fatigue, as well as anxiety and agitation," a source told Radar Online. "She's very frail and spends a great deal of the day napping!" Another insider dished, "Barbara is fading a little more every day. She's close to the end and her team is scrambling to manage affairs just the way Barbara would want them."

But given the case, her closest friends in the industry still made it a point to reach out. "I heard that she's in a place of not doing great, and I just talked to Sherri Shepherd about it and we're sending some cards over to her," Jenny McCarthy told Us Weekly in 2020. "That woman is a juggernaut that'll just keep going no matter what." Whoopi Goldberg made sure to give her a shoutout on her last birthday, too. "To the one and only Barbara Walters, who had a birthday yesterday," she said on "The View" (via E! News). "We wanna say, 27 never looked so good!"