Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, Grammy-nominated singer, and notable promoter of orange juice and various products, passed away at the age of 84. Her death occurred on December 16 at her residence in Edmond, Oklahoma, as confirmed by her family through a statement shared with the media. The cause of her death has not been disclosed.
Born in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, Bryant began her singing career at a young age. By the time she was just 12 years old, she had hosted her own local television program. She gained prominence after winning the title of Miss Oklahoma in 1958, which paved the way for a successful career in music. Some of her popular songs include “Till There Was You,” “Paper Roses,” and “My Little Corner of the World.” As a devout Christian, she garnered two Grammy nominations for best sacred performance and another for best spiritual performance for her album “Anita Bryant … Naturally.”
In the late 1960s, Bryant became a notable figure by participating in USO tours alongside Bob Hope to entertain troops abroad. Her talents took her to the White House, where she performed, and to the national political conventions for both the Democratic and Republican parties in 1968. In addition to her music career, she became a well-known commercial spokesperson, particularly for Florida orange juice, famously stating, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”
However, during the late 1970s, her life took a dramatic turn as she publicly opposed gay rights. Displeased with cultural shifts, she successfully spearheaded a campaign to repeal a Miami-Dade County ordinance aimed at preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation. With backing from influential figures like Rev. Jerry Falwell, she and her coalition, “Save Our Children,” campaigned against gay rights and labeled the lifestyle of the LGBTQ+ community as “deviant.”
Bryant faced intense backlash for her views; activists organized boycotts against the brands she represented, created T-shirts that mocked her, and even concocted a drink in her name that substituted apple juice for orange juice. Her time in the public eye also saw her humiliated when an activist threw a pie at her face during a public event in Iowa. The ensuing controversy affected her entertainment career, her first marriage to Bob Green ended, and she eventually filed for bankruptcy.
In Florida, Bryant’s legacy remains complex. The ordinance she fought against was reinstated in 1998. Tom Lander, an LGBTQ+ activist and board member of Safe Schools South Florida, commented that while Bryant was successful in her campaign, she ultimately lost the broader battle over time. He also noted the connection between her efforts and the contemporary “parental rights” movement, which has influenced a resurgence of book bans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Florida, driven by conservative groups.
In her later years, Bryant resided in Oklahoma, where she headed the Anita Bryant Ministries International. She experienced personal loss with the passing of her second husband, NASA astronaut Charles Hobson Dry, last year. Her family revealed that she is survived by four children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren.
