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Barbara Walters, 93, a shadow of her former self as she spends her last days like a 'prisoner' in her home

People close to Barabara Walters, who has advanced dementia, said she was fading a little more every day and is a 'virtual skeleton'
UPDATED DEC 31, 2022
Barbara Walters has become very reclusive as she lives out the last days of her life like a prisoner, fighting a losing battle against dementia (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for The Women's Media Center)
Barbara Walters has become very reclusive as she lives out the last days of her life like a prisoner, fighting a losing battle against dementia (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for The Women's Media Center)

Update: Barbara Walters passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones, her representative Cindi Berger said on December 30, Friday. Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger also announced Walters' death, tweeting that the "one-of-a-kind reporter" who he had worked with for three decades had died at her New York home.

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NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: TV icon Barbara Walters, who is battling with the advanced stages of dementia, is reportedly living the last days of her life as a prisoner in her New York City apartment. The famous American broadcaster, who once interviewed the world’s most fascinating people, now “doesn’t say much and doesn’t remember much,” reported Radar Online.

The reclusive journalist and  TV personality has not been seen in public since retiring from her famous talk show ‘The View’ in 2014. Fans reportedly expressed concerns about her health in September after her ‘The View' co-host Whoopi Goldberg gave a rare update on the show's creator. Now, an insider close to Walters told the outlet that she spends her days as a “recluse" while being taken monitored by caregivers.

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“Barbara suffers from exhaustion and fatigue, as well as anxiety and agitation,” an insider told the outlet, adding, “She’s very frail and spends a great deal of the day napping!” Sources added that the only thing that rouses Walters was news broadcasts “When the news comes on, Barbra gets extremely agitated because she’s convinced, she’s supposed to be there reporting the stories!” the insider continued, according to the outlet..

Journalist Barbara Walters attends the Woman's Day 8th Annual Red Dress Awards at Jazz at Lincoln Center on February 8, 2011 in New York City.
Barbara Walters is living like a recluse in her New York City apartment as she continues to fade away due to dementia (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Woman's Day)

According to Radar Online, the source continued, “Barbara is just a shadow of her herself. She often doesn’t remember what day it is, or who her famous friends and former colleagues are. Now everyone is fearing for the worst.”

Sources said that Walters was essentially a prisoner in her own home now. “Barbara doesn’t say much and doesn’t remember her friends anymore. She’s a virtual skeleton now and so fragile, and in a wheelchair," sources said.

(L-R) Television personalities Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck of
HOLLYWOOD , CA - APRIL 28: (L-R) Television personalities Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck of "The View" speak onstage during the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on April 28, 2006 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

In her 93-year-long life, the ABC news icon has married four times to three different men and has a 54-year-old adopted daughter named Jacqueline.

Previously, the outlet reported, Barbara’s dementia is so advanced that she has started to fade away a little more every day. “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,” a source said at that time. “Sadly, her dementia has been getting worse. [Her] caretaker give her the opportunity to make everyday decisions, but more often than not she’ll stare at them blankly.” The source also noted that the failing recluse is wheelchair-bound and is said to be suffering from hearing loss and heart disease.

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