Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, Grammy-nominated singer, and well-known spokesperson for orange juice products, has passed away at the age of 84. Her family confirmed her death on December 16 at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, in a statement shared with The Oklahoman on Thursday. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Born in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, Bryant showed early musical talent, hosting a local TV show at just 12 years old. She achieved success with hit songs like “Till There Was You,” “Paper Roses,” and “My Little Corner of the World,” earning two Grammy nominations for sacred and spiritual performances.
By the late 1960s, Bryant had become a fixture in American entertainment, performing at the White House, appearing at both Democratic and Republican national conventions, and joining Bob Hope on USO tours for troops overseas. She also became a recognizable face in advertising, famously promoting Florida orange juice with the slogan, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”
However, Bryant’s career took a controversial turn in the late 1970s when she became a vocal opponent of gay rights. She led a successful campaign to overturn a Miami-Dade County ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Supported by figures like Rev. Jerry Falwell, Bryant’s “Save Our Children” movement actively opposed LGBTQ+ rights, referring to homosexuality as a “deviant lifestyle” and making inflammatory comments about the gay community.
Her activism sparked widespread backlash. LGBTQ+ activists organized boycotts of products she endorsed, created parody merchandise mocking her, and even named a cocktail — a twist on the screwdriver — after her by replacing orange juice with apple juice. During a public appearance in Iowa, a protester famously threw a pie in her face.
Bryant’s entertainment career waned amid the backlash, and her personal life also faced turmoil. Her marriage to her first husband, Bob Green, ended in divorce, and she later filed for bankruptcy. Despite the controversies, Bryant remained a figure who sparked both admiration and criticism throughout her life.
