DEAR ABBY: I met “Donny” 18 months ago. Then suddenly, every Friday, Donny would make some excuse, smoke a cigarette and go to the bar across the street. The next morning when I went to wake him up, Donny had died! If only I had tried to wake him earlier, maybe he could have been saved. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips.