Jamie Spears

"James Spears" redirects here. For the American Union general, see James G. Spears.

James Parnell Spears (born c. 1953^[1]) is the father of American singers/actresses Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears and producer Bryan Spears.

Jamie Spears
Born	James Parnell Spears c. 1953 (age 69–70) Kentwood, Louisiana, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Debbie Sanders Cross ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1975)​ Lynne Bridges ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 2002)​
Children	Bryan Spears Britney Spears Jamie Lynn Spears

Early life and family

James Parnell Spears was born in Kentwood, Louisiana,^{[citation needed]} to June Austin Spears (1930–2012), and Emma Jean Spears (née Forbes; 1934–1966).^[2] When Spears was 13, his mother committed suicide on the grave of her infant son following a miscarriage. Spears also survived a car accident that killed a football teammate aged 17.^[3]

Spears's first wife was Debbie Sanders Cross, who remains his friend.^[3] In July 1976, he married his second wife, Lynne Irene Bridges. She filed for divorce in 1980, requesting a temporary restraining order, fearing that he would "become angry when he is served with these papers" and harass or harm her, "especially if he has been drinking alcoholic beverages, as he has done in the past." However, they reconciled and had Britney the following year.^[3] They divorced in May 2002^[4] and reconciled without remarrying around 2010.^[5][6] They were seen still united in 2014,^[7] but were evidently completely separated by 2020. They have three children: son Bryan Spears (born 1977) and daughters Britney Spears (born 1981) and Jamie Lynn Spears (born 1991). They also have five grandchildren: grandsons Sean Preston Federline (born 2005) and Jayden James Federline (born 2006) from Britney, granddaughters Maddie Briann Aldridge (born 2008) and Ivey Joan Watson (born 2018) from Jamie Lynn, and Sophia Alexandra Spears (born 2011) from Bryan.^[8]

Later life

Spears struggled with alcohol later in life and eventually went to rehab in 2004.^[9][10] He later suffered a near-fatal colon rupture in 2019.^[11]

Conservatorship controversy

Main article: Britney Spears conservatorship dispute

Spears came to prominence as a public figure in 2019 with the rise of a movement to terminate his daughter's conservatorship, dubbed #FreeBritney.^[12] This movement has garnered support from a number of celebrities, including Cher, Paris Hilton, and Miley Cyrus, as well as the nonprofit organization American Civil Liberties Union.^{[13][14][15][16]} On April 22, 2019, fans protested outside the West Hollywood City Hall to demand Britney's release from the psychiatric facility where she had been staying since Spears's illness in January.^[17]

During a May 2019 hearing, Judge Brenda Penny ordered "an expert evaluation" of the conservatorship.^[18] In September 2019, Britney's ex-husband Kevin Federline obtained a restraining order against him following an alleged physical altercation between Spears and one of Britney's sons.^[19] Britney's longtime care manager, Jodi Montgomery, temporarily replaced Spears as her conservator of the person on September 10, 2019.^[20] In the same month, a hearing resulted in "no decisions made" about the conservatorship arrangement.^[21]

In August 2020, Spears called the #FreeBritney movement "a joke" and its organizers "conspiracy theorists".^[22] On August 17, 2020, Britney's court-appointed lawyer submitted a court filing that documented her desire to have her conservatorship altered to reflect "her current lifestyle and her stated wishes", to instate Montgomery as her permanent conservator, and to replace Spears with "a qualified corporate fiduciary" as conservator of her estate.^[23] Four days later, Judge Penny extended the established arrangement until February 2021.^[24] In November 2020, Judge Penny approved Bessemer Trust as co-conservator with Spears of his daughter's estate.^[25] A documentary focusing over his daughter's career and Spears's conservatorship over her, Framing Britney Spears, premiered on FX in February 2021.^[26]

On June 23, 2021, Britney gave testimony regarding her father, stating that he sent her to a rehab and mental facility against her will in January 2019. She also stated that she is afraid of him and that he has committed "conservatorship abuse". Britney said he should not be able to walk away and that he should go to jail for his actions.^[27]

On September 7, 2021, Spears filed a petition to end the conservatorship over his daughter.^[28] Judge Brenda Penny suspended Spears as conservator on September 29, 2021.^[29]

On November 12, 2021, the conservatorship was terminated by Judge Penny following Britney's public testimony in which she accused her management team and family of abuse.^[30][31]

References

1. . Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2010. Brother Bryan Spears. Born c. 1977 ... Father Jamie Spears. Born c. 1953 ... Mother: Lynne Spears. Born c. 1955
2. "Ancestry of his daughter, including James Spears". from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
3. Day, Liz; Stark, Samantha; Coscarelli, Joe (June 22, 2021). "Britney Spears Quietly Pushed for Years to End Her Conservatorship". The New York Times. from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
4. "Britney's Next Act" September 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. People. September 2, 2002. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
5. "Britney Spears's Divorced Parents Reconciling" March 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. People. November 15, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
6. MSNBC. November 16, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
7. "Jamie Watson, husband of Jamie Lynn Spears along with Lynn Spears, Jamie Spears, mother and father of Pop Star Britney Spears and her little sister Jamie Lynn Spears". ImageCollect. June 8, 2014. from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
8. "Britney Spears – Lynne Spears: 'Family Troubles Are In The Past'" July 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. contactmusic.com. October 9, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
9. Spears, Lynne; Craker, Lorilee (2008). Through the Storm. Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-59555-156-6. from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
10. "Britney Spears' Ups and Downs With Dad Jamie Spears Over the Years". Us Magazine. from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021. Jamie eventually went to rehab in 2004 after Britney urged him to seek help.
11. Coscarelli, Joe (January 4, 2019). "Britney Spears Announces 'Indefinite Work Hiatus,' Cancels Las Vegas Residency". The New York Times. from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
12. Jacobs, Julia (May 17, 2019). "What Is Actually Happening With Britney Spears?". The New York Times. from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
13. Milton, Josh (September 1, 2020). "Cher sides with Britney Spears as she weighs in on conservatorship". PinkNews. from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
14. White, Adam (August 25, 2020). "Paris Hilton 'heartbroken' over Britney Spears conservatorship battle: 'It's not fair to be treated like a child'". The Independent. from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
15. Willman, Chris (May 6, 2019). "Miley Cyrus Calls to 'Free Britney!' Spears at Memphis Concert". Variety. from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
16. Kirkpatrick, Emily (August 24, 2020). "The ACLU Is Ready to Help Free Britney". Vanity Fair. from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
17. "Britney Spears' Fans Demand Release of Pop Star from Psychiatric Facility". Variety. April 22, 2019. from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
18. "Britney Spears appears in court over conservatorship, judge orders evaluation". USA Today. May 10, 2019. from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
19. Dasrath, Diana (September 5, 2019). "Kevin Federline files complaint alleging altercation between his son and Britney Spears' father". NBC News. from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
20. D'Zurilla, Christie (September 10, 2019). "Britney Spears' dad, Jamie Spears, is out as her conservator — at least for now". Los Angeles Times. from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
21. "The Latest: No rulings, no Britney Spears at court hearing". Associated Press. September 19, 2019. from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
22. Kaufman, Amy (August 1, 2020). "Britney Spears' father calls #FreeBritney followers 'conspiracy theorists'". Los Angeles Times. from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
23. Coscarelli, Joe (August 18, 2020). "Britney Spears Seeking Substantial Changes to Conservatorship". The New York Times. from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
24. Coscarelli, Joe (August 21, 2020). "Britney Spears Conservatorship to Remain As Is Until 2021". The New York Times. from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
25. Dalton, Andrew (November 10, 2020). "Lawyer: Britney Spears fears father, wants him out of career". Associated Press. from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
26. Grisafi, Patricia (February 5, 2021). "'Framing Britney Spears' on FX shows how the singer gets used for everyone else's purposes". NBC News. from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
27. Cheri Mossburg. "Read the full transcript of Britney Spears' court hearing statement". CNN. from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
28. Dalton, Andrew (September 7, 2021). "Britney Spears' father files to end court conservatorship". Associated Press. from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
29. Richwine, Lisa (September 29, 2021). "Britney Spears' father suspended as conservator, judge cites toxic situation". Reuters. from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
30. "Britney Spears released from 13-year conservatorship". BBC News. November 13, 2021. from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
31. Coscarelli, Joe (November 12, 2021). "Britney Spears Conservatorship Has Been Terminated: Live Updates". The New York Times. from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.

External links

 

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