Barbara Walters paved the way for female journalists all across America.
In the 1960s, Walters was known for her segment on The Today Show, where she produced and wrote pieces on women's interests. She was extremely popular with viewers, and in turn gained more air-time. In 1974, Walters was named co-host of the show, becoming the first woman to hold the position on an American news program.
In 1976, Walters once again broke barriers, becoming the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program, working with Harry Reasoner on ABC Evening News. She earned an unheard of $1 million per year.
From 1979 to 2004, Walters co-hosted and produced the iconic show 20/20. She grew and grew in popularity, and eventually decided to create her own show in 1997, which is still on the air, The View.
After 16 seasons on The View, Walters decided to retire, still producing the show and doing occasional interviews on select shows.
However, she hasn't been seen a lot through 2017, and it got many people worrying about her health.
Walters' friends gave a sad update about the status of the broadcasting pioneer.
According to sources obtained by TMZ, Barbara Walters is rapidly declining in health, choosing to live in isolation.
The sources say Walters is showing 'significant signs of age', which makes sense considering she is 87-years-old. She will not leave her apartment for 'fear of breaking a hip', something that is often considered a sign of declining health in aging people.
Speculation has been running wild that Walters may be suffering from Alzheimer's especially after some out-of-character remarks in an interview with Bradley Cooper, admitting to him she finds the actor "very screwable." She also admitted to owning her own vibrator, saying "You know what it's called? A selfie!" This, coupled with sources claiming she is becoming "increasingly forgetful and confused", could all point to Alzheimer's.
The sources also say Walters is not allowing guests into her home, essentially cutting herself off from everyone in her life except for extremely close family members and her personal trainer, who she sees once a week.
Update:
Earlier this year Blasting Pop reported that Barbara Walters was content to spend her days alone at her home in her ritzy New York City apartment building.
TV icon Barbara Walters' health has continued to decline at a rapid rate with what sources claim is advanced dementia. It has progressed to the point that Barbara doesn't recognize or remember even her lifelong and closets friends according to Radar Online.
Insiders claim that a recent visit from co-host Whoopi Goldberg triggered a screaming fit.
"Barbara's eyes were opened wide, and she was terrified," the insider spilled. "Barbara screamed: "˜Who is she? Get out, get out! Help me! Get out.'"
"She wouldn't stop. No one could calm her down. Whoopi excused herself from the room. She was heartbroken by what she saw."
All we can hope is that Barbara Walters gets the help she needs, whatever that may be, and that she is living a happy life.