Anita Bryant, Singer and Anti-Gay Activist, Dies at 84

The former beauty queen was also a spokesperson for Florida oranges in the 1970s

Anita Bryant Day in 1977
Anti-gay activist Anita Bryant in an orange grove in 1977 (Credit: Lynn Pelham/Getty Images)

Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen and singer who gained notoriety in the 1970s for her anti-gay activism, died on December 16 at 84.

According to an obituary published in the Oklahoman, the one-time Miss Oklahoma died at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, surrounded by her family and friends.

After appearing on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” and landing chart with hits “Till There Was You,” “Paper Roses,” “In My Little Corner of the World,” she became a frequent guest on Bob Hope’s holiday tours for U.S. troops abroad.

In 1968 Bryant, who was known for her rendition of “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” sang at both the Republican and the Democratic national conventions.

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