In January 2025, when the announcement of Anita Bryant’s death was made public (nearly a month after the actual occurrence), most people thought that she had already been dead for a long time. That’s because her career died in the late 1970s.

Anita Bryant enjoyed a lot of success in the late 50s and early 60s. She released a number of popular albums and her takes on the songs “Paper Roses” and “Till There Was You” were certified gold. She accompanied comedian Bob Hope on USO tours of Vietnam and was awarded the Silver Medallion by the National Guard for outstanding service by an entertainer. Anita was a frequent guest on television variety shows and her nightclub performances drew large crowds.

In the 1960s and 70s, Anita was the spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission. She sang “Come to the Florida Sunshine Tree” (written by Disney songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman) in commercials featuring the Disney-designed Florida Orange Bird. Anita hoisting a big ol’ glass of orange juice while reminding everyone “Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine” was a ubiquitous image in 60s & 70s television advertising. In addition to orange juice, Anita shilled for Coca-Cola, Holiday Inn, Kraft and Tupperware. She sang at Super Bowl V, as well as at the funeral of President Lyndon Johnson. She also co-hosted the Orange Bowl Parade for almost a decade.

Then the proverbial shit hit the fan.

In 1977, Dade County, Florida passed an ordinance that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. An outraged Anita Bryant formed the Save Our Children Coalition and tirelessly campaigned to repeal the ordinance. At public rallies, she warned of homosexuals “recruiting” unsuspecting children and “risks of molestation if homosexuals are allowed to teach our children.” Sadly, the Anita Bryant-led campaign was the first organized opposition to gay rights that spread across the nation.

In 1977, Florida approved a measure to ban gay adoption. It was an early victory for Anita’s campaign. (It was repealed thirty years later as unconstitutional.) At an October 1977 rally, Anita spoke passionately, noting repeatedly, that she “loves homosexuals, but hates their sin.” Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, gay activist Thom Higgins slammed a pie in Anita’s face as she stood at the podium. Speaking through a face full of broken crust and whipped topping, Anita snidely quipped “At least it’s a fruit pie,” before bursting into tears.

Gay activists, with the vocal support from a number of celebrities, launched a nationwide boycott of Florida orange juice. Gay bars all over the country stopped serving screwdrivers, substituting vodka and apple juice, dubbed the “Anita Bryant Cocktail,” with proceeds from the concoction going towards funding their fight against Anita’s agenda. Anti-Anita buttons, bumper stickers, and T-shirts began to pop up all over. Anita was a regular target of ridicule from Johnny Carson, Saturday Night Live, a slew of sitcoms and other comedians.  Anita’s rallies and live appearances were picketed.

Anita continued to rally for the repeal of local anti-discrimination ordinances. Liberal organizations, with the support of California Governor Jerry Brown and Presidents Carter, Ford and even Reagan, raised awareness and ultimately defeated Anita’s efforts.

By 1978, Anita’s life and career was a shambles. She was dropped from consideration by the Singer Corporation as a product spokesperson. Other companies which employed Anita as a spokesperson ended their contracts. She opened Anita Bryant’s Music Mansion in Branson, Missouri to miserable results. Her show, combining songs from her musical catalog with preaching of her fundamental Christian belief, was not popular. She could not meet payroll and creditors went unpaid. Anita filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Another failed musical venture in Arkansas ended in bankruptcy in that state as well, with debts in excess of $172,000.

In 2021, after coming out on her 21st birthday, Sarah Green, Anita Bryant’s granddaughter, married a woman.

Anita Bryant passed away in December 2024. She said she never regretted what she did.

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I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I love watching television. I grew up in a time before cable, before video-on-demand, before streaming services. When I was a kid there were three networks and you watched programs even though you didn’t like them. If you didn’t watch shows you didn’t like, you’d have to do chores, or homework or… God forbid … read a book. One without pictures!

I remember watching Alice from the time it premiered in 1976. I sort-of remembered series star Linda Lavin from a handful of episodes of Barney Miller, a show I watched with my mom and really liked. However, Alice…. I did not like. I had never seen Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the 1974 film on which the sitcom was based. I watched the TV series, but I did not like it.

In hindsight, I liked Linda Lavin. It was the rest of the cast I didn’t like. Everyone, except for Linda Lavin, was a one-dimensional cartoon character spewing the same stupid one-liners week after week after week. The supporting cast was annoying and certainly not funny. There was Flo, the brassy, outspoken redheaded waitress who barked her catchphrase “Kiss My Grits” on every single episode! That was a “thing” in 70s sitcoms. Every show had a character catchphrase that had to be heard on every episode and had to receive thunderous applause for the studio audience. (Think of “Dyn-O-Mite!,” “Sit on it!,” “Na-Nu Na-Nu!” and countless others.) There was Vera, the dimwitted other waitress, whose over the top stupidity would prohibit her from a waitressing job in the real world. There was Mel, the overbearing, angry, sexist owner of the diner, who berated his staff, made lousy food and scowled through every scene.

The storylines were contrived and thin. It was typical 70s sitcom fare, featuring outrageous situations, more outrageous resolutions and terrible acting. But I watched… because I liked Linda Lavin. I kind of felt sorry for her. She was obviously talented, but she appeared to be stuck in a situation that suppressed her talent. At the height of Alice‘s popularity, Linda Lavin hosted a couple of holiday specials and appeared in a few made-for-TV movies. Without the distractions of her sitcom co-stars, Linda’s talents sparkled (after all, she was a star on Broadway prior to he foray into television).

There was another show I felt the same way about — I Love Lucy. Except my feelings were sort-of inverted. I loved everyone in the cast except for Lucy. Coincidentally, Linda Lavin played I Love Lucy writer Madelyn Pugh in the 2021 film Being the Ricardos.

After Alice ended its nine-season run, Linda moved on to other series, though not as successful. She made guest appearances and took small roles in theatrical films. At the time of her death, she had just wrapped up filming on a Golden Girls-like series for Hulu.

Linda passed away in December 2024 at the age of 87.

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Clarence Henry began playing piano at the age of five. He was heavily influenced by New Orleans legend Professor Longhair and often imitated the piano wizard when he performed in local talent shows. In 1955, a scout from Chess Records heard Clarence sing “Ain’t Got No Home,” changing the sound of his voice with each verse, including his soon-to-be signature “croak” in the final verse. Clarence made a recording of the song and, with heavy promotion from a local DJ, it rose to Number 3 on the nation-wide R&B charts and Number 20 on the Pop charts. He earned himself the nickname “Frogman,” and sang the song for the rest of his career to the delight of fans.

After some early touring, including 18 shows as the opening act for The Beatles, Clarence became a staple on the New Orleans music scene, performing regularly on Bourbon Street for nearly 20 years. He was scheduled to appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the time of his death. Clarence was 87.

“Ain’t Got No Home” was used in a number of films including The Lost Boys and Casino.

This illustration was done for the Faces of Death Project, an internet-wide illustration project started by Michael Hambouz in 1997. This is my seventh year of participation.

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Upon the death of label founder Bert Berns, Bang Records was taken over by Ilene Berns, Bert’s widow. One of her first signings for the successful label was a singer named Paul Davis. Paul released a cover of The Jarmels’ 1961 hit A Little Bit of Soap. Paul’s version hit Number 52 on the Billboard charts. He released a few more albums to minimal success. Singer Juice Newton had a bigger hit with Paul’s tune Ride ’em Cowboy.

In 1978, Paul hit gold with  I Go Crazy. The song went to Number 7 on the charts and spend 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a record at the time. His follow-ups, Sweet Life and Do Right were popular as well, although the struggling Bang Records label folded.

Paul was signed by Arista Records and went on to release Cool Night and 65 Love Affair, both big hits and regular entries in the ‘Yacht Rock” genre.

Paul eventually grew tried of industry politic and called it a career in 1983. He wrote the country hit Meet Me in Montana, which Dan Seals and Marie Osmond took to the top of the Country Music charts.

In 1986, Paul was shot in the stomach during a hold-up. He survived the incident.

He married singer Pamela Davis and the couple had a son who, unfortunately suffered from developmental issues. Pamela retired from show business to care for their child exclusively. She passed away in 2017.

Paul suffered a fatal heart attack in 2008, just one day after his 60th birthday. Paul’s songs are still staples on classic rock radio stations.

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Mary and Madeleine Collinson were born in 1952 in Malta, moving to England in 1969 as teenagers. The following year they appeared as the joint “Miss October” in Playboy magazine, becoming the publication’s first identical twin centerfold models. The sisters used their Playboy pictorial as a springboard for a film career. They took roles in several experimental films with leanings towards the “freeform hippie movement” of the time. In 1971, they were cast in the Hammer horror film Twins of Evil as twin vampires alongside Hammer heavyweight Peter Cushing. The film was the third installment of the trilogy based on the 1872 novella Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.  The previous two entries featured a lesbian storyline that was absent in Twins of Evil. The film was given mixed reviews at the time of its release, but has since developed a cult following. It was the Collinson sisters’ last hurrah in their fleeting acting career.

Madeleine married and returned to Malta to raise a family. Later, she fell ill and was diagnosed with advanced emphysema. She was admitted to a Maltese hospital and died when her ventilator lost power during a blackout. She was 62.

Mary married and lived in Milan, Italy with her family. Out of the spotlight for years, she passed away from bronchopneumonia in 2021 — seven years after her sister.

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