Barbara Walters, a trailblazing journalist, died at the age of 93.

Barbara Walters, one of the most well-known American broadcast journalists, died on Friday evening at the age of 93, according to ABC News, her former employer. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Though she covered celebrities as much as anyone else, Walters also covered serious subjects. She was an unexpected trailblazer. And there is some truth to that if you remember Walters as a journalist who blurred the lines between news and entertainment.

She had no trouble delivering lines like these to introduce Hollywood’s “”Those lips, those eyes, that body. The meeting of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the set of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ sparked Hollywood’s hottest romance.”

Her questions were often direct, whether she was interviewing celebrities or the first couple.

“You love him very much, don’t you?” Walters asked the first lady during a Thanksgiving special with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Mrs. Obama responded, “I do,” to which the president remarked, “She’s a little biassed.”

Nonetheless, Walters posed a slew of tougher questions over the years. During their 1977 peace talks, she had the only joint interview with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. She landed the first major interview with Monica Lewinsky in 1999.

In December 2011, she questioned Syria’s President Bashar al Assad about the brutal repression of protesters.

“I am sure you have seen pictures of Egypt with President Mubarak in jail, pictures of Libya with Moammar Gadhafi killed,” Walters said during the interview. “Are you afraid you’ll be the next?”

“No, I’m afraid the Syrian people will not support me,” Assad replied.

The interview was the first given by Assad to an American journalist since his country’s uprising began. It was not Walters’ first time interviewing a leader like Assad. She also had conversations with Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gaddafi.

Barbara Walters was born on September 25, 1929, less than a month before the Wall Street crash that precipitated the Great Depression. She later stated that she was motivated throughout her life by a fear of financial collapse.

Walters’ parents kept her away from many social situations so she could care for her older sister Jackie, who had a mental disability. Jackie taught Walters patience and empathy, which she said came in handy.

As Walters told NPR’s Steve Inskeep in 2008, her father ran nightclubs and was frequently absent.

“On the one hand, there was this glamorous life of nightclubs and gorgeous showgirls and big stars like Frank Sinatra and Milton Berle. And I’m sure it’s a life that people would admire and think, ‘Oh, isn’t that wonderful?’ That was not something I desired “Walters explained. “I desired a normal life. I wished for a daddy who was at home.”

Her father’s income declined as television became more popular, but after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, Walters worked in television as a writer and producer.

She also contributed occasional on-air features to NBC’s “Today” Show, where she became a hit as her role grew. She became the show’s first female co-host in 1974.

Andrea Mitchell of NBC News says seeing a woman on the “Today” show alongside the men inspired her as a teen.

“She always had to wait until the fourth question to ask because the men in charge wouldn’t let her ask first,” Mitchell explained.

Walters left for ABC in 1976 to become the first female evening news anchor, and she was spoof on “Saturday Night Live” by the late Gilda Radner.

The cost of success was that impression. She was the first network anchor to earn a million dollars per year. Her ABC co-anchor, Harry Reasoner, couldn’t have been nicer.

“First and foremost, I don’t believe he wanted anyone to be an anchor with him. He desired complete exclusivity “According to David Westin, who later became Walter’s boss as ABC News president. . She also demonstrated a flair for show business, interviewing celebrities as well as world leaders and eventually creating an annual Oscar interview programme.

“She enjoyed both making serious news and making light of it. They reflected her tastes and preferences “Westin stated.

Celebrity also dominated Walters’ personal life.

She was married four times to three men, had a rocky five-year affair with then-Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke, and dated other prominent figures. However, none of the relationships lasted.

Walters concentrated on her career, with one foot in entertainment and the other in news, and faced criticism for her style, which she felt was unfounded.

Walters defended herself after being widely mocked for asking actress Katherine Hepburn what kind of tree she would like to be by pointing out that Hepburn made the comparison. “What kind of tree?” Walters simply inquired.

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell was in Havana for a planned interview with Fidel Castro — a network jet with a full crew was on its way — when the Cubans cancelled it because Walters had decided she would have one and insisted on exclusivity. Walters’ celebrity was that strong.

“It was humiliating to say the least, but it was just part of doing business with Barbara,” Mitchell explained.

They stayed friends.

Over the course of more than a half-century, this driven celebrity journalist not only avoided financial ruin, but also built one of the most remarkable careers in TV news.

Barbara Walters’ daughter Jackie, named after her older sister, survives her.