Anita Bryant, Singer, Anti-Gay Rights Activist, Dies

Grammy-nominated singer Anita Bryant, who gained attention for her opposition to gay rights in the U.S., died from cancer at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Dec. 16, The New York Times reported. She was 84.

"May Anita's memory and her faith in eternal life through Christ comfort all who embraced her," her family wrote in an obituary that appeared in The Oklahoman.

Bryant, born in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, began performing at six by making appearances on local TV and radio. By the time she was 12, she had her own show, "The Anita Bryant Show," on WKY, the Independent noted. 

Bryant won the Miss Oklahoma title at 18 and became the second runner-up in the 1959 Miss America competition. That same year, she also released her debut album, "Anita Bryant."

In 1959, Bryant dominated the Billboard Hot 100 with tracks like "Till There Was You" from The Music Man, along with hits such as "In My Little Corner of the World" and "Paper Roses."

She performed at Republican and Democratic national conventions and was invited to sing at the White House during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency. Johnson was so impressed by her performance of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at the 1971 Super Bowl halftime show that he requested she sing it at his funeral.

In 1969, Bryant was appointed as the spokesperson of Florida Citrus, coining the phrase: "Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine."

In the 1970s, she became a vocal critic of gay rights, leading the "Save Our Children" campaign, which aimed to overturn a Dade County, Florida ordinance that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In a 1978 interview with Playboy, Bryant said she "got involved only because they were asking for special privileges that violated the state law of Florida, not to mention God's law."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, gay-rights activists responded by boycotting Florida orange juice. Bryant claimed to have lost around $500,000 in concert bookings as a result, the report noted.

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