Pauline Phillips, the columnist of Dear Abby, passed away yesterday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease at age 94. Phillips was a California housewife when she decided to pursue a journalism career in January 1956, at the suggestion of her twin sister and columnist Ann Landers. Over the following decades, Phillips’ column “Dear Abby” became an internationally syndicated hit with millions of readers who her snarky and sometimes blunt advice addressed. Her popularity hit a peak in 1987 when a quarter of a million people sent in anonymous postcards at Abby’s request admitting they had cheated on their partners. In 2002, her daughter Jeanne took over writing the column after Phillips was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In astatement, Jeanne wrote: “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.”