US TV news legend Barbara Walters dies at 93

Pioneering television journalist Barbara Walters, who upended a male-dominated industry as the first woman to anchor an evening news show in the United States,

died on Friday at the age of 93, her long-time employer ABC said.

Walters interviewed a host of US presidents, foreign leaders such as Anwar Sadat and Fidel Castro,

and A-list celebrities in a hugely successful career that spanned five decades — becoming a touchstone of American culture in the process.

She died at “her home in New York”, tweeted Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, ABC’s parent company.

“Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself,” Iger said.

Walters won 12 Emmy awards, all but one while at ABC, the network said