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The tragic decline of Barbara Walters: News icon, 93, 'doesn't recognize friends' as dementia deepens

Visitors have now turned away from her New York home and it is alleged that Barbara Walters' health is deteriorating rapidly

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Famous American broadcaster and television personality, Barbara Walters has stayed out of the spotlight since retiring from the popular talk show 'The View' in 2014. At the beginning of Monday's episode of the show, 'The View's Whoopi Goldberg gave the creator and original co-host a big shout-out. “To the one and only Barbara Walters, who had a birthday yesterday, we wanna say, 27 never looked so good!”, Goldberg said as a sweet, smiling photo of Barbara appeared on the screen. 

However, viewers have become concerned and raised questions about the legendary newscaster as it seems to many that she might be spending her final days in a tragic prison of pain. Barbara was born in Boston in 1929 and turned 93 years old on Sunday, September 25. According to RadarOnline, Barbara has been suffering from advanced dementia and is said to rarely leave her bed and doesn't even recognize her famous friends. “Barbara suffers from exhaustion and fatigue, as well as anxiety and agitation,” spilled an insider. “She’s very frail and spends a great deal of the day napping!”

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Although in 2019, the broadcaster's close friends and relatives claimed that she was doing fine, a close source to the outlet said, “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.” Visitors have now turned away from her New York home and it is alleged that her health is deteriorating so rapidly that ABC News is preparing her obituary and former colleagues whisper that her end is very near. 

“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 added 'The View' ladies still reach out, “On good days, Barbara can distinguish Joy Behar’s voice, but on a bad day, she might just hang up!” The source noted that caretakers get the impression her mind “turns off, like a blank screen on a television.” Barbara's friends said that the failing recluse is wheelchair-bound and said to be suffering from hearing loss and heart disease. She couldn’t recognize Whoopi Goldberg, due to her dementia. 

Her loyal fans, however, rushed to social media to wish the retired star a happy birthday. One fan told her “Happy 93rd birthday Barbara Walters. Thank you for all you've done to encourage women to follow their dreams.” A second tweeted “Happy Birthday Ms. Barbara!” "Wishing health and happiness to the legendary Barbara Walters, who turns 93 today", tweeted another one.