Anita Bryant, former beauty queen, Grammy-nominated singer, and “Save Our Children” activist, has died at 84-years-old.
Born in 1940 in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, Bryant, a devout Christian, developed a love for music and performance at an early age.
“Anita spent her early years surrounded by the love of her family and the Christian faith that would guide her throughout her life,” said her family.
At 12-years-old, she hosted her own television show and at 18 she was crowned Miss Oklahoma in 1958.
Not long after, her singing and on-air career blossomed, where she held guest appearances on a number of CBS programs, including Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.”
Bryant is best known for her hits, “Till There Was You,“ “Paper Roses,” “In My Little Corner of the World,” and “Wonderland by Night.”
She received two Grammy nods for best sacred performance and one for best spiritual performance.
In the late ‘60s, she notably sang at the White House and both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, as well as a performance at the Super Bowl in 1971.
However, she was particularly known for her rendition of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Simultaneously, she became a national TV-spokesperson for Florida orange juice and Coca-Cola, appearing in commercials for nearly a decade.
Her political movement led to the repeal of a Miami-Dade County ordinance that outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Additionally, Bryant added author to her resume and is the recipient of the USO Silver Medallion for Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars Leadership Gold Medallion and Al Jolson Gold Medallion.
In her later years, her obituary stated that Bryant “continued to write and sing about God’s love whenever and wherever she could.”
She is survived by four children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren.
