Anita Bryant, whose career spanned from beauty pageants and hit records to becoming a polarizing figure in America’s culture wars, died on December 16, 2024, at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma. She was 84. According to her family’s announcement in The Oklahoman, the cause of death was cancer.
Starting as a child performer in Oklahoma, Bryant hosted her own local television show at age 12. After being crowned Miss Oklahoma in 1958, she launched a successful recording career that produced several hits, including “Till There Was You,” “Paper Roses,” and “My Little Corner of the World.” Her Christian faith played a central role in her music, earning her three Grammy nominations – two for best sacred performance and one for best spiritual performance.
By the late 1960s, Bryant had become a prominent entertainment figure, joining comedian Bob Hope on USO tours for troops overseas and performing at the White House. She sang at both Democratic and Republican national conventions in 1968. Her most recognizable role came as the spokesperson for Florida orange juice, delivering the memorable tagline, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”
She sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s graveside, demonstrating her widespread appeal during this period.
In 1977, Bryant’s public image transformed dramatically when she led the “Save Our Children” campaign to repeal an anti-discrimination ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Supported by Reverend Jerry Falwell, she vocally opposed gay rights across the country. “She won the campaign, but she lost the battle in time,” said Tom Lander, an LGBTQ+ activist and board member of Safe Schools South Florida.
The backlash was significant. Activists organized boycotts against products she endorsed, created merchandise mocking her, and even named a drink after her – a screwdriver variant that substituted apple juice for orange juice. During an Iowa appearance, an activist threw a pie in her face.
The controversy severely impacted Bryant’s entertainment career. She lost her contract with the Florida Citrus Commission, faced declining concert bookings, and eventually filed for bankruptcy. Her marriage to her first husband, Bob Green, ended in divorce.
The Miami-Dade County ordinance she fought to repeal was reinstated in 1998. Bryant spent her later years in Oklahoma, leading Anita Bryant Ministries International. Her second husband, NASA test astronaut Charles Hobson Dry, died in April 2024.
Bryant is survived by four children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren.
