PIE IN THE SKY

Anti-Gay Beauty Queen Anita Bryant, Famously Blasted With Pie, Dies at 84

A family obituary for Anita Bryant was published in her hometown newspaper, The Oklahoman.

Former beauty queen and 1960s pop singer-turned anti-gay crusader Anita Bryant has died, according to a family obituary published in her hometown newspaper, the Oklahoman. Bryant died Dec. 16 in Edmond, Oklahoma, at age 84, according to the obituary, leaving behind four children, two stepdaughters, seven grandchildren and “her legacy of faith and love.” In addition to her early careers, and stints as a spokesperson for Florida orange juice and Coca-Cola, Bryant is best-known for being a devout evangelical Christian and her polarizing stances against what she referred to as the LGBTQ takeover of America. Her stance was celebrated by many religious conservatives but rebuked by LGBTQ rights advocates. When she was famously hit in the face with a pie while speaking at an Iowa event against anti-discrimination policies, she quipped, “At least it’s a fruit pie.” Bryant was a three-time Grammy nominee, singing at the 1971 Super Bowl, and cohosting the televised Orange Bowl Parade for nine years.