A Closer Look At Barbara Walters' Health Struggles

Veteran broadcast journalist Barbara Walters passed away on December 30, 2022, surrounded by her loved ones. Although no reason for her death has been revealed yet, fans suspect the journalism trailblazer died due to natural causes. Given that she was 93 years old at the time of her death, the Primetime Emmy Award winner has battled several health issues. So, let us take a quick look at some health problems that ailed the late Barbara Walters over the years.

**Barbara Walters Missed The View’s 25th Anniversary**

Barbara Walters was the co-creator and co-executive producer of The View alongside her business partner, Bill Geddie. However, the journalism pioneer fought a lengthy and private health before her death at her NYC home. She officially retired from the broadcasting world in 2014. The mother of one had been keeping to herself ever since her retirement spiking concern among fans.

[Source: YouTube]

Moreover, she stopped appearing in public in 2016, adding to the speculations that she is not doing well. Barbara Walters was also absent from the ABC show’s 25th-anniversary celebrations that happened earlier this year. Sadly, the honorary journalist had been struggling with several health issues back at home. In 2010, she underwent an aortic valve replacement surgery as reported by The Sun.

Barbara Walters Underwent An Open-Heart Surgery

At that time, she was still appearing on The View where she announced the surgery to replace her faulty heart valve. She revealed, “You know how I always say to you how healthy I am…. I’ve never missed a day’s work. 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.”

Barbara Walters further stated that the issue was detected during the heart echocardiogram which revealed that her valves were getting smaller and tighter. She also added that the chances of her being alive in the next two years were 50-50 unless she opted for open-heart surgery. However, after the surgery, she was back on the show four months later, happy and healthy.

[Source: YouTube]

Additionally, in 2013, she had an accident at a party in Washington where she was there to cover President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. The ABC journalist lost her balance and fell down the stairs injuring her forehead. However, she recovered soon only to come down with chicken pox.

Did Barbara Walters Suffer From Dementia?

On The View, her co-host, Whoopi Goldberg updated fans, “We want to give you an update on Barbara. You all know that she fell and cut her head 10 days ago, and then was running a temperature, but it turns out it is all the result of a delayed childhood. Barbara has chicken pox.”

In the past few years, there have been several unconfirmed reports that Barbara Walters was suffering from dementia. These reports also alleged that the broadcast journalist was diagnosed with a significant cognitive decline over recent years. The claims remain unconfirmed by Walters and her representatives. However, her co-hosts and former guests on The View shared similar stories hinting at her declining cognitive health.