Paul McCartney is mourning Barbara Walters, who died Friday at the age of 93. McCartney’s wife, Nancy, is Walters’ second cousin.
“Nancy and I are so saddened by the news of her dear cousin Barbara Walters’ passing. The two of them enjoyed a deep loving relationship over many years, and I was proud to share some of those special moments,” McCartney wrote Saturday on Facebook.
“Barbara was an amazing woman who more than held her own in the early days of male-dominated television and went on to become a worldwide celebrity known for her many perceptive interviews with stars from every walk of life. We will miss her but always remember her with great fondness.”
Walters revealed on a 2007 episode of “The View” that trucking heiress Nancy Shevell is her second cousin. Nancy, 63, and Paul, 80, were dating at the time, and Walters had played matchmaker.
“Her mother, who died, was my first cousin. And I have been very close to this young woman,” Walters said. “She’s separated from her husband, who’s a nice man. The marriage wasn’t going well, and they’re separated.”
The couple wed in 2011 in a lavish London ceremony. At the time, Walters said she cried during the hourlong “beautiful and wonderful” nuptials.
McCartney joins legions of celebrities paying tribute to the legendary newswoman.
“Without Barbara Walters there wouldn’t have been me — nor any other woman you see on evening, morning, and daily news,” Oprah Winfrey captioned an image of herself with the late journalist on Instagram.
Star Jones, who co-hosted “The View” with Walters when the show premiered in 1997, called the longtime journalist her “sister … mother … friend …colleague … [and] mentor” in a tweet Friday.
The attorney, 60, added, “I owe Barbara Walters more than I could ever repay. Rest well.”