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Anita Bryant, Pop Singer, Florida Orange Pitchwoman and Anti-Gay Rights Crusader, Dies at 84
Anita Bryant, whose career led from easy listening records to becoming a pitchwoman for Florida oranges to campaigning against gay rights, died at 84.
Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen and pop singer of the 1960s whose career led her to become a spokesperson for Florida oranges in the early ’70s and an evangelical crusader against gay rights later in that decade, died Dec. 16 at age 84, her family announced Thursday. During her heyday as a public figure, Bryant was one of the most polarizing celebrities in America, vilified by much of the show business community for campaigning against what she viewed as a gay takeover of American culture, while being embraced as a hero by many religious conservatives. Those advertisements eclipsed her long-dormant career as a pop singer, even as she made the move into recording gospel music after easy-listening sounds fell out of fashion in the rock era.
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