“Dear Abby” Writer Pauline Phillips Has Died

(TMZ) – The creator of the “Dear Abby” advice column has died at the age of 94. According to the gossip site TMZ Pauline Phillips had been battling Alzheimer’s disease.

The column started appearing in newspapers in 1956 and eventually grew to 100 million readers.

She used the pen name, “Abigail Van Buren because Abigail was a wise woman in the Old Testament and “Van Buren” was adopted in honor of one of her favorite presidents.

Her daughter Jeanne took over the column a few years ago.

More: TMZ.com