Ann Landers

Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers (July 4, 1918–June 22, 2002), wrote the famous syndicated advice column "Ann Landers". For some 45 years, it was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. In it, people wrote the columnist for advice and she answered. Lederer's writing style was direct but often witty and sometimes acerbic. She would regularly upbraid an errant letter-writer with the quip, "Watch it, bub!"

Related Topics:
July 4 - 1918 - June 22 - 2002 - Newspaper

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Lederer had won a contest to take over the column in 1955, and wound up as owner of the copyright. She chose not to have a different writer continue the column after her death; it ultimately ceased publication when the few weeks' worth of material she had sent out before her death finally ran out.

Related Topics:
1955 - Copyright

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Esther was an identical twin: her sister, Pauline Esther Friedman, wrote the Dear Abby column as Abigail Van Buren. As children, they grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, and went by the nicknames "Eppie" and "Popo", respectively. As competing columnists, the sisters did not have a happy relationship. Just a few years before Lederer's death, they were not on speaking terms; it is said that they reconciled before her death, although that may be subject to question considering that Pauline (Abby) was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Related Topics:
Identical twin - Pauline Esther Friedman - Dear Abby - Sioux City - Iowa - Alzheimer's disease

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Lederer was married to Julius Lederer a business executive. Lederer's home for many years was Chicago, Illinois, where she owned a huge, well-furnished apartment. Lederer often said that she exercised regularly by walking the length of her apartment several times a day. Julius and Esther's marriage ultimately ended in divorce, after producing a daughter, Margo, who was formerly married to actor Ken Howard, and has kept his name. Today Margo Howard writes an advice column of her own, Dear Prudence, for http://www.slate.com. A collection of correspondence between Lederer and Howard was published after her death.

Related Topics:
Julius Lederer - Chicago, Illinois - Ken Howard

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In good health almost all of her life, she died of multiple myeloma in 2002 at the age of 83. After her death, Dan Savage, author of the sex column Savage Love, bought her desk.

Related Topics:
Myeloma - Dan Savage - Savage Love

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It was decided ahead of time, however, that the column would not continue after Lederer's death.

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The Ann Landers column has since been replaced by Annie's Mailbox, a similar feature written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, the longtime editors of Lederer's old column.

Related Topics:
Kathy Mitchell - Marcy Sugar

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She had a crush on Matt Hrncar

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