Pauline Phillips, the "Dear Abby" newspaper columnist who dished out advice to millions of confused, troubled and lovesick readers in America and around the world, has died at the age of 94, her daughter said on Thursday.
Phillips died in Minneapolis on Wednesday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
"I have lost my mother, my mentor and my best friend," daughter Jeanne Phillips said in a statement released by the syndicator of the "Dear Abby" column, Universal Uclick.
"My mother leaves very big high heels to fill with a legacy of compassion, commitment and positive social change. I will honor her memory every day by continuing this legacy," Jeanne Phillips added
The improbable saga of "Dear Abby" began in 1955 when Phillips was an affluent homemaker in Hillsborough, Calif., with time on her hands, doing volunteer work and playing mah-jongg. Her twin, who'd just been hired by the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate to take over the Ann Landers column, began forwarding some of her letters to her for replies.
Always extremely close, the sisters were thrilled to be collaborating on an advice column.
Phillips soon started her own advice column for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Her twin sister died in 2002.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-dear-abby-dead-pauline-phillips-20130117,0,7596514.story______________________
May she rest in peace.