Yahoo Finance Canned water company Liquid Death rebrands 'Armless Palmer' drink after lawsuit threat
Canned water company Liquid Death has announced they will change the branding of their "Armless Palmer" iced tea/lemonade beverage after they were threatened with a lawsuit.
In an Instagram post, the company announced they were changing the name of the drink to "Dead Billionaire." Liquid Death's post claims a "large enterprise" threatened to sue them over the use of the word "Palmer" in their new beverage offering and hope to avoid a legal battle by changing the name.
The original name – and, in a different sense, the new one – of the canned water company's product draw inspiration from Arnold Palmer, the legendary golfer who is also credited with inventing the beverage mixture of iced tea and lemonade.
In 2002, AriZona Beverages began mass producing and selling their own iced tea/lemonade concoction with Palmer's image and signature on the bottles. The golfer's name has since become synonymous with the beverage.
Palmer passed away in September 2016.
The canned water company, which was founded in 2019, originally announced "Armless Palmer" earlier this year as one of three new iced tea offerings sold exclusively on Amazon.
Liquid Death said on Instagram the newly renamed "Dead Billionaire" will be available to purchase in retail stores in spring 2024.
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Arnold Palmer net worth
At the time of his passing, Forbes estimated his inflation-adjusted career earnings total to be $1.3 billion.
In 2016, his non-inflation-adjusted $875 million in career earnings would have put him behind only fellow golfer Tiger Woods and NBA superstar Michael Jordan.
Social media reacts to Liquid Death's "Dead Billionaire" name
Liquid Death's rebranding of their product led to some pushback on social media. Many claimed the canned water company's name change was in poor taste, pointing out Palmer's philanthropy and contributions to the sport of golf.
By all accounts, Arnold Palmer was one of the most humble and philanthropic star athletes ever. His estate is protective of the brand because @DrinkAriZona holds the distribution rights and sells their product for an affordable 99 cents.
Not the flex Liquid Death thinks this is https://t.co/NBMZ7n0w3H— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) November 27, 2023
What a disgusting company. @LiquidDeath - I had the honor to work with Arnold Palmer and his family. He was a great American and class act. This is classless. https://t.co/19d19XQqpE
— Mike Ryan (@mryan311) November 28, 2023
"Family of beloved dead golfer" vs "Guy who famously just made hundreds of millions of dollars selling novelty cans of water" is an interesting PR fight to pick https://t.co/iALy92MNzB
— Endless Dan Moore (@danup) November 28, 2023
Great job sticking it to *checks notes* the guy who tried to make golf more accessible @LiquidDeath https://t.co/ALGWFsBPwT pic.twitter.com/virD2TL0AC
— Sam (@Skulledwedge) November 27, 2023
This is repugnant. https://t.co/rRat0tRYYD
— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) November 28, 2023
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liquid Death's 'Armless Palmer' drink changed to 'Dead Billionaire'
