Barbara Walters through the years

Barbara Walters reports from NBC's "Today" show in Manhattan on May 20, 1965.

Former "Today" show regulars from left, Barbara Walters, anchor Hugh Downs and Joe Garagiola, who led the program through the turbulent times of the late 1960s and early 70s.

Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs in 1971.

Barbara Walters, Joe Garagiola, Hugh Downs and Frank Blair on NBC's "Today" show.

Barbara Walters reacts as she addresses staff members from the NBC "Today" show during a farewell party at the studios in New York after her final live appearance on the show, on June 3, 1975. Walters left to join rival network ABC as co-host and anchorwoman of its evening news program.

Barbara Walters on the "Today" show on June 3, 1976.

Barbara Walters answers questions about her upcoming debut as an ABC anchor during a news conference in New York on Sept. 30, 1976. Her move from NBC to ABC made her the nation's first female network news anchor.

Harry Reasoner and Barbara Walters on the set of "ABC Evening News" on Sept. 30, 1976.

Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner anchor "ABC Evening News" on Oct. 4, 1976, during her her network debut. Walters also made history for becoming the nation's first female network news anchor.

"ABC Evening News" anchors Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner on Oct. 5, 1976, a day after Walters made her network debut.

Barbara Walters with Barbra Streisand, whom she interviewed for her first special, which aired Dec. 14, 1976, on ABC.

Barbara Walters interviews President-elect Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalyn Carter for her first special, which aired Dec. 14, 1976, on ABC.

Barbara Walters interviews Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Sen. John Warner at their Virginia home for an interview that aired April 6, 1977, on ABC.

Barbara Walters interviews Cuban president Fidel Castro on May 20, 1977.

Cuban president Fidel Castro takes Barbara Walters on a sightseeing tour in Cuba on June 6, 1977.

Barbara Walters talks to a young, armed PLO guerrilla at the Palestinian refugee camp in Shatila, near Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 20, 1977.

Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat presents Barbara Walters with a handmade dress and mother-of-pearl box following an interview with him in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 21, 1977.

Barbara Walters arranged a historic joint interview with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for ABC News, which aired on Nov. 20, 1977.

Barbara Walters in an undated photo.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali and his wife, Veronica Porche Ali, introduce their daughters Hana, left, and Laila to Barbara Walters for a special that aired May 30, 1978, on ABC.

Barbara Walters interviews President Jimmy Carter in the Green Room of the White House on Dec. 14, 1978.

Barbara Walters interviews John Wayne for a special that aired March 13, 1979, on ABC.

Barbara Walters dances with George Burns during an interview for a special that aired May 29, 1979, on ABC.

Barbara Walters interviews former President Richard Nixon in New York on May 8, 1980.

Barbara Walters at the 34th annual Emmy Awards banquet at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 1982.

Barbara Walters and Jimmy Stewart ride an elephant during filming for a special that aired June 14, 1983, on ABC.

Barbara Walters interviews Muammar Gaddafi outside his tent in Tripoli, Libya, on an episode of ABC News' "20/20" that aired Jan. 27, 1989.

Barbara Walters with her induction award at the sixth annual Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 1990.

Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters on the set of ABC News' "20/20" on June 28, 1993. The duo anchored the program together from 1979 until 1999 when Downs retired.

Barbara Walters, left, speaks with Katie Couric during a party in Manhattan's Rockefeller Plaza on June 15, 1994.

Christopher Reeve talks with Barbara Walters at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey, for a special on ABC News' "20/20" that aired Sept. 29, 1995. It was his first interview since he was left paralyzed from the neck down four months earlier.

Barbara Walters in 1997, when she was co-anchor of ABC News' "20/20."

Barbara Walters interviews Harrison Ford on March 4, 1997, for her Oscar-night special that aired March 24.

The original hosts of "The View," from left: Star Jones, Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, Debbie Matenopoulos and Barbara Walters, on July 21, 1998, around the time of the ABC talk show's second-season launch.

Barbara Walters profiles Bob And Michelle Smithdas, a couple who met, fell in love and married without ever seeing each other or hearing each other's voices -- because both are deaf and blind. The report aired Oct. 22, 1998, on ABC.

Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace before the start of a gala for The Museum of Television and Radio in Manhattan on Feb. 4, 1999.

Monica Lewinsky with Barbara Walters during the taping of their interview that aired on March 3, 1999, on ABC.

Monica Lewinsky sits down with Barbara Walters for Walter's "10 Most Fascinating People of 1999" TV special, on Nov. 23, 1999.

"The View" hosts, from left: Lisa Ling, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Star Jones and Meredith Vieira circa the late 1990s/early 2000s.

"The View" co-host Barbara Walters displays her lifetime achievement award during the Daytime Emmy Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan on May 19, 2000.

Barbara Walters reports from an open marketplace in Abha, Saudi Arabia, for ABC News on March 12, 2002.

In this undated photo made available by ABC, Barbara Walters interviews Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela.

Former "Baretta" actor Robert Blake speaks to Barbara Walters at the Los Angeles county jail as he was being held without bail on charges of killing his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in an interview that aired Feb. 26, 2003, on ABC.

From left, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters on the set of ABC's "The View" on June 5, 2003.

Barbara Walters in an undated photo.

Barbara Walters at the Legends Ball, an award ceremony hosted by Oprah Winfrey, in Santa Barbara, California, on May 14, 2005.

Barbara Walters interviews the Dalai Lama in India for her special “Heaven: Where Is It? How Do We Get There?,” which aired Dec. 20, 2005, on ABC.

Barbara Walters high-fives Rosie O'Donnell, who made her debut as a co-host on "The View" on Sept. 5, 2006.

Barbara Walters with Tom Cruise during an interview for her annual special, "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008," that aired Dec. 4, 2008, on ABC.

"American Idol's" Adam Lambert is interviewed by Barbara Walters for "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009," an hour-long ABC News special highlighting some of the year's most prominent names in entertainment, sports, politics, and pop culture.

Donald Trump, Barbara Walters and Melania Trump at Ivanka Trump's wedding at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Oct. 25, 2009.

Barbara Walters, Rudy Giuliani and Judy Nathan attend QVC's Super Saturday Live at Nova's Ark Project in Water Mill on Aug. 1, 2009.

ABC newsman Charles Gibson and Barbara Walters leave the funeral for CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite at St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan on July 23, 2009.

Barbara Walters in 2010, during taping of the final installment of her pre-Oscars interview special, "The Barbara Walters Special," which had a 29-year run, airing each year on the night of the Academy Awards.

Barbara Walters with actress Mo'Nique during filming for the final installment of "The Barbara Walters Special," which aired in February 2010.

Barbara Walters virtually joins co-hosts, from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck during a broadcast of "The View" in Manhattan on July 12, 2010.

President Barack Obama appears as a guest on "The View," with co-hosts from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck on July 28, 2010.

President Barack Obama talks with Barbara Walters as he appears on the ABC daytime television talk show "The View" in Manhattan on July 28, 2010.

Barbara Walters returns to "20/20" in Sept. 2010 to report on a rare, rapid aging disease called progeria, a fatal condition that currently affects 68 known children in the world.

Oprah Winfrey sits down with Barbara Walters during a one-hour special to speak candidly about her life on "A Barbara Walters Special: Oprah, The Next Chapter" in Dec. 2010.

Oprah with Barbara Walter during taping of "A Barbara Walters Special: Oprah, The Next Chapter" in Dec. 2010.

Barbara Walters with Justin Bieber during an interview for "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2010."

Barbara Walters with former Alaska Gov. and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin during an interview for "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2010."

Barbara Walters attends the Woman's Day 8th Red Dress Awards on Feb. 8, 2011 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

Six months after the birth of their twins, Moroccan and Monroe (affectionately known as "Roc and Roe"), Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon give the world a first look at the babies and sit down exclusively with Barbara Walters discussing intimate details of their struggle to conceive, Mariah's high-risk pregnancy, parenthood and the unique dynamic of their marriage. (October 2011)

Barbara Walters at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville. (Oct. 24, 2011)

Barbara Walters attends the 2011 Queen Sofia Spanish Institute Gold Medal Gala at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute in Manhattan. (Nov. 29, 2011)

Katy Perry with Barbara Walters in Manhattan during taping of the year's “10 Most Fascinating People” special. (Nov. 16, 2011)

Eric Stonestreet, left, Barbara Walters and Jess Tyler Ferguson during taping of the year's “10 Most Fascinating People” special. (November 2011)

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad poses with Barbara Walters for an interview. (December 2011)

Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks with Barbara Walters for an interview that aired Dec. 7, 2011, on ABC.

Barbara Walters attends the "One for the Money" premiere at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square in Manhattan. (Jan. 24, 2012)

Oscar de la Renta and Barbara Walters attend the Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Theatre at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. (Feb. 12, 2012)

Barbara Walters attends the American Heart Association's 2012 New York City Go Red for Women luncheon at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. (Feb. 28, 2012)

Barbara Walters with Star Jones at the American Heart Association's 2012 New York City Go Red for Women luncheon at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. (Feb. 28, 2012)

Barbara Walters attends the Time 100 Gala, Time's 100 Most Influential People In The World, cocktail party at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. (April 24, 2012)

Barbara Walters attends the Hollywood Reporter celebration of "The 35 Most Powerful People in Media" at the Four Season Grill Room in Manhattan. (April 11, 2012)

Barbara Walters and Mia Farrow attend the Time 100 Gala, Time's 100 Most Influential People In The World, cocktail party at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. (April 24, 2012)

President Barack Obama appears on the television show "The View" with hosts, from left, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd at ABC Studios in Manhattan. (May 14, 2012)

Barbara Walters presents an award at the 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. (June 23, 2012)

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Barbara Walters attend the Carnegie Hall 2012-2013 season opening night gala at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan. (Oct. 3, 2012)

Barbara Walters with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy for "Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of All Time," a special edition of "20/20."

Barbara Walters attends the Broadway opening of "After Midnight" on Nov. 3, 2013.

Co-host Barbara Walters on "The View" on Wednesday, March 26, 2014.

Barbara Walters and actress Julianna Margulies arrive for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington on Saturday, May 3, 2014.

Barbara Walters shares tips on how to have a successful broadcast career with "Weekend Update" anchor Cecily Strong on "Saturday Night Live" on May 10, 2014.

Barbara Walters attends the dedication ceremony as ABC News headquarters in Manhattan is proclaimed "The Barbara Walters Building" on Monday, May 12, 2014.

Standing from left, Whoopi Goldberg, Lisa Ling, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Rosie O'Donnell Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy, and seated from left, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar, Debbie Matenopoulos and Barbara Walters on the set of the daytime talk series "The View," Thursday, May 15, 2014 in New York.

From left, Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira and Barbara Walters on the set of "The View," Thursday, May 15, 2014, in New York.