Barbara Walters Dead at 93: The View Stars & Others Mourn Icon

“So… so many things I could say about Barbara Walters,” the talk show host, who co-hosted The View between 2007 and 2014, wrote on Instagram. “Barbara was tough on me, but she was tough on those she loved. Barbara gave me a chance to grow. She encouraged me (no… she TOLD me) to speak up or be left behind. She told me to never take No for an answer.”

She continued, “Barbara constantly loved on my son Jeffrey (kids were not allowed in her dressing room, but Jeffrey was always welcome & he made her smile). Whenever Barbara came into my dressing room and imperiously said ‘Sherri I want to have dinner with you’, I quaked in my 6″ stilletos wondering what trouble I was in this time. But once we got to the restaurant, Barbara held my hand & we laughed all nite long.”

Shepherd said she told Walters she “always wanted to end our evening with a sleepover in matching pj’s,” adding, “you can imagine the look on her face. She also recalled working with Elisabeth Hasselbeck during her time on The View. “@elisabethhasselbeck & I were like Barbara’s naughty teenage daughters,” she said. “We were always saying something that got us in trouble and Barbara was the Mother Lion always defending us.”

Shepherd continued, “Thank you Barbara for giving a shy girl who didn’t like to debate a seven year chance of a lifetime. You believing in me has changed my life. Thank you for allowing me to find my voice and encouraging me to fly. You were my Teacher, my Mother and my Friend. I love you Lady #myhearthurts #barbarawalters #rip #savorthememories #takealittletimetoenjoytheview #helloimbarbarawalters.”