Pauline Friedman Phillips, who as Dear Abby dispensed snappy, sometimes saucy advice on love, marriage and meddling mothers-in-law to millions of newspaper readers around the world and opened the way for the likes of Dr. Ruth, Dr. Phil and Oprah, has died. She was 94.

Pauline Friedman Phillips, who under the name of Abigail Van Buren wrote the long-running Dear Abby advice column that millions of newspaper readers throughout the world followed, has died. She was 94.