Since the 1970s, Barbara Walters has been breaking records in TV journalism. In 1976, she became the very first female co-anchor on “ABC World News Tonight.” She also broke records by earned an unprecedented at the time $1 million a year salary. Later in her career, she was an anchor on “20/20” before starting her own talk show “The View.”

Walters has won multiple awards throughout her career. These awards include both Daytime Emmy Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards. To say that she is a respected journalist is an understatement.

Walters celebrated her 93rd birthday in September. On “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg acknowledged the show’s creator by saying, “To the one and only Barbara Walters, who had a birthday yesterday, we wanna say, 27 never looked so good.”

While Goldberg’s statement was meant to be a kind happy birthday announcement, it instead worried fans leaving many wondering why they haven’t seen or heard from Walters in years.

Unfortunately, Walters’ life is quickly fading away. Insiders revealed to RadarOnline that Walters suffers from severe dementia and doesn’t leave her New York City apartment. In fact, she hardly ever even leaves her bed, and when she does, she’s in a wheelchair.

The insider also revealed that Walters often doesn’t know what is going on around her and that the only time she really seems alert is when the news is on; however, this is not because she is interested in the news program. Instead, Walters is confused, thinking that she is supposed to be reporting the news story.

Walters officially retired from her long career in 2014, and she hasn’t been seen in public since 2016. Before the pandemic hit in 2020, she used to entertain guests at her apartment, but since the pandemic, she has remained alone with the help of her caretakers.

The source described Walters as “very frail and spends a great deal of the day napping!” The source added that Walters “suffers from exhaustion and fatigue, as well as anxiety and agitation.”

Walters’ team reportedly knows that her health is declining and is preparing accordingly. The source explained, “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.”

The source added that due to Walters’ dementia, she is unable to make very many decisions herself. The source explained, “Sadly, her dementia has been getting worse. [Her] caretakers give her the opportunity to make everyday decisions, but more often than not she’ll stare at them blankly.”

Another source revealed that Walters doesn’t even remember her famous friends and hardly ever knows what day it is. The source described her as “a virtual skeleton.”

Does Walters’ health condition surprise you? Do you think she will live much longer?