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Papa Spears: 20 Things To Know About Britney's Relationship With Her Dad

It's highly likely that there's no one in the world at this point who doesn't know who Britney Spears is. After all, she's basically the Queen of Pop!

While she snagged a role on The Mickey Mouse Club as a child, starring alongside other future celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling, she really became a household name when she hit her teenage years and embarked on her solo jaunt as an artist. From that very first "Baby One More Time" music video to the countless hits that came after it, she became one of the most important voices in pop.

The problem is, that much success, especially at such a young age, comes with a lot of pressure—and in the late '00s, everything got to be a bit much for Britney and she had some mental health issues.

Lately, she's thriving and absolutely loving her professional life, but there's another issue in her personal life—her father's health. While Britney's mom has appeared in the public eye from time to time, her father has kept a pretty low profile over the years, apart from taking over as a conservator of Britney's estate.

So let's unpack 20 things about the complicated relationship between Britney Spears and her father, Jamie Spears.

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20 Her Father Jamie Suffered A Health Scare Two Months Ago — And Things Still Aren't Looking Good

via: usmagazine.com

While Britney only recently revealed that her father was having some issues with his health, he actually suffered from a health scare about two months ago, while he was in Las Vegas.

As is the case with many serious health issues, while things seemed to be going well for a while and he seemed to be recovering nicely, things took a bit of a turn for the worse and now he's facing some pretty serious health issues.

It can't be easy to go through something like that, especially when you know the paparazzi are likely going to follow you to the hospital.

19 Britney Put Her Latest Vegas Residency On Hold To Spend Time With Him

via: grammy.com

It's no secret that a Las Vegas residency was one of the key factors in Britney's comeback if you want to call it that. While many doubted whether or not she'd be up to the demanding task of taking the stage night after night, she proved them wrong by absolutely slaying it—and was even planning the launch of her latest residency, Britney: Domination. Fans were super excited about her new show, but she took to IG and shared the following: "I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time. I hope you all can understand." Take about a major decision!

18 Jamie Spent Nearly A Month In The Hospital

via: huffingtonpost.com

Every type of procedure is a big deal, but it's especially troubling when you have to remain hospitalized for quite some time after you undergo a procedure.

After all, if the doctors want to keep you around and continue monitoring your health, that usually isn't a good sign.

So, it's startling to find out that Spears apparently had a colon rupture and, after getting emergency surgery, had to spend a staggering 28 days in the hospital. That's nearly a month! For a while, he seemed to be recovering nicely, but health isn't always a straightforward path, and things seem to be getting complicated once more.

17 Jamie Was A Building Contractor When Brit Was Growing Up

via: dailymail.co.uk

There are a lot of celebrities who have some kind of connection to the entertainment industry, either through their parents or through the fact that they grew up in California surrounded by that sort of thing. After all, it's natural to decide to go on auditions as a child star if half your classmates are doing it too! However, Britney didn't have that kind of childhood—she grew up in the south, and her father worked as a building contractor, which is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. He was just a regular guy trying to provide for his family.

16 When Britney Was Younger, Jamie Had Struggles Of His Own

via: fanpop.com

Britney's mother Lynne Spears released a book detailing the Spears family's stories and history, entitled Through The Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World, a while back.

And in that book, she discussed Jamie's problems when the children were young, saying that the family had to experience the effects of his "erratic behavior" that consuming too many drinks caused.

Jamie has been clean since 2003, but nonetheless, that couldn't have been an easy way to grow up. Thankfully, he seems to be a much more positive influence in Britney's life over the past decade as he's tried to help her with her own demons.

15 Jamie Let His Daughter Leave School At 14 To Become A Pop Star

via: jenniferfabulous.blogspot.com

There are many parents who would hear their child's dream of becoming a famous movie star or singer and give them one response—when you turn 18, absolutely. However, Spears' parents didn't have that issue. She got her start at a young age, and as Britney told Rolling Stone back in 2000, her parents allowed her to leave school once she had signed a record deal, even though she was only 14 years old! "They knew I wanted it so bad," Spears told the magazine. "I thank God every day for my parents." It seems like a crazy decision, but who knows whether Brit would have been as successful if she waited another couple of years to pursue her passion for music.

14 Britney Was Ecstatic When Her Parents Divorced In 2002

via: zimbio.com

While Britney always seems to have had a close relationship with her mother and father, that doesn't mean she had dreams of them being together forever—in fact, when the two finally decided to split after nearly 30 years of marriage, Britney was absolutely ecstatic.

As she spilled to People, "my mom and dad, bottom line, do not get along. When I was a baby, they argued. I wanted this to happen 10 years ago."

Yikes! At least the two were able to make the decision that was right for their family at some point, although it might have been better when the children were still young so they didn't have to hear all that arguing.

13 During Brit's Childhood, Jamie Worked In Memphis And Would Come Home To Kentwood Every Other Weekend

via: eonline.com

Some people get dream jobs where they can come home for supper every night and take the kids to school every morning and have unlimited time on the weekends for family activities. However, that isn't always reality—there are times when you just need to take whatever job is available in order to provide for your family, and that's exactly what Jamie Spears did. Back when the kids were children, he apparently worked in Memphis for a period and would come home to Kentwood, Louisiana every other weekend to spend time with the family. It must have been a tough way to live, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

12 Jamie Was Appointed Co-Conservator Of Britney's Estate In 2008

via: usmagazine.com

Back in 2008 when Britney was hospitalized, everyone around her realized that something needed to be done—whether it was from stress or mental health issues, she just wasn't able to manage things effectively, and they worried she'd make poor decisions because of that.

So, a judge decided to make her father Jamie a temporary conservator of Spears' estate—and that conservatorship has gone on for over a decade now, which is absolutely crazy. 

It can't have been easy for Britney to have to go through someone else to make all kinds of important decisions in both her professional and personal life, even if that person was her father.

11 Jamie And Britney's Mother Lynne Helped Clear Brit's Life Of Bad Influences

via: usweekly.com

When Britney had her struggles back in the late '00s, people didn't know what the issue was—perhaps it was mental health, perhaps it was the crazy workload, perhaps it was things in her personal life, the speculations were endless. Her parents didn't want to leave anything to chance, so just in case she was being led down the wrong path by people around her, they made it their mission to keep who they thought were bad influences away from their baby girl, including her friend at the time, Sam Lutfi—they even filed a restraining order against Lutfi! Talk about dedication to your daughter's health.

10 Jamie And Lynne Reunited In 2010 — Although They Didn't Remarry

via: nydailynews.com

While Jamie and Lynne Spears split in 2002 after nearly thirty years of marriage, after a few years apart, they missed one another's company and ended up getting back together. Talk about a crazy story!

They ended up reconciling and getting back together, although they never ended up taking a second walk down the aisle.

Whether it's because they ended up bonding again during the time they were trying to get Britney back to her best self or they simply saw what they had once it was gone, it's always a cute love story when people reunite and figure out they were made for each other all along.

9 Jamie Has Been Photographed At His Grandson's Football Games

via: eonline.com

Though his daughter is a huge pop superstar who performs to sold-out crowds across the world, when it comes to his grandsons, Jamie Spears is just a regular grandpa. He spends time with them and supports them in the things they do, like soccer. He's been photographed before attending some of his grandson's school football games, which is kind of adorable. It just goes to show that, even though they've had their fair share of drama over the years, the Spears family does always put family first. Although, can you imagine seeing Britney Spears cheering on the sidelines of your kid's soccer game?

8 Jamie Apparently Requested Proof Of Kevin Federline's Need For An Increase In Child Support

via: dailymail.co.uk

Though Jamie Spears and his former son-in-law Kevin Federline seemed to have a good relationship, that doesn't mean he was going to let Federline take advantage of his daughter.

When Federline requested an increase in his child support payments, saying he required an additional $20,000 a month—an absolutely extravagant amount—Spears apparently requested a look at Federline's tax returns.

Good old dad checked to see if Kevin legitimately needed the extra funds to ensure Brit's boys were taken care of, or if he was just being greedy. After all, his daughter worked incredibly hard to build her brand—he wasn't about to let her ex take her hard earned money without checking.

7 Jamie Was Looking Into Finally Ending The Conservatorship After A Decade

via: variety.com/Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock

Most people have no idea that Britney has had a conservator for a decade now—it seems like ages ago that she had her struggles that required a conservatorship to be set up. Well, it seems that Jamie was finally starting to believe that Brit was happy and healthy and capable of making all her own decisions without any help, and a source dished to Us Weekly that he was actually talking to her medical team in order to see if it would be a wise move to end the conservatorship at last. We're not sure what the answer is, but we've got our fingers crossed for Britney!

6 Jamie Remembers Seeing A Change In His Daughter After Her Split With Justin Timberlake

via: bravotv.com

There was a time when Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were basically the golden couple of the entertainment industry. She had a thriving reputation as a pop princess, he was the leading man in a hugely successful boy band, and they seemed like the perfect couple.

However, things didn't end up working out, and Britney's father Jamie seems to remember there being a big change in his daughter's behavior after the breakup, as was revealed in court.

Breakups are always tough, but we can only imagine how it must feel to experience a breakup when you're in the limelight as a celebrity power couple.

5 Britney Has Always Loved Being On Stage

via: fanpop.com

There are some celebrities and musicians who only figure out what they want to do later in life, perhaps after they take drama in high school or college, but that wasn't the case in Britney's life. She was taking dance lessons from the time she was three years old, sang "What Child Is This?" at her kindergarten graduation, and then took voice lessons growing up and competed in talent shows. She seems to have had a very good idea from a very young age that she wanted to perform, even if she didn't quite know it could become her profession. It's no wonder she ended up achieving the success she did!

4 Britney Believes In Always Putting Family First

via: newsypeople.com

While Britney shares a ton of her performances on social media and gives her fans a peek behind the scenes of her life, there's one part of it that always touches fans the most—her relationship with her kids.

No matter what's going on in her professional life, Britney has always seemed like such a devoted mom.

Plenty of sources close to her confirm that being a good mom is her top priority in life—way more important than her stage appearances or making money or any of that. So, it's not surprising that she's put her work on pause to spend some time with her dad—for her, it seems that family is always the most important thing.

3 Jamie Is Only 66 Years Old

via: instagram.com

Sometimes it's easy to forget that Britney is relatively young—she seems older at times, simply because she's been around in the industry for such a long time. Accordingly, her father is pretty young as well—only 66 years old. It's sad to hear of anyone having health issues, but it's particularly tough when the person isn't even all that old. Hopefully, Britney is just staying by her father's side and helping to get the rest of her family and her sons through the experience—it can't be easy for them to come to terms with the fact that something might happen to their grandfather.

2 Jamie Quit His Job To Become Britney's Full-Time Conservator

via: instagram.com

While being a conservator of anyone's life and business is a lot of work, being a conservator of a huge pop star's brand is a whole different ball game.

That's why Britney's father Jamie actually ended up having to quit the job he had in catering in order to take over as her conservator full-time once the decision was made.

Even though Britney has a huge team around her that helps with a lot of decisions, there's still a lot that needs to be decided on—and it must be twice as challenging when you're not just deciding, but actually deciding on behalf of someone else.

1 Jamie Likely Gets Thousands A Week For His Role

via: instagram.com

Since the conservatorship ended up being a full-time role that required him to leave his job, Jamie Spears requested compensation for his missed wages, which he was awarded—he got $10,000 in back pay for the month he was handling his daughter's business, and then apparently began receiving $2,500 a week as a salary for being the conservator of her estate. That's no small change! There are likely members of her team that get paid a lot more, but still, that probably more than replaces whatever salary he was making beforehand. It just goes to show that it's hard to see the whole picture of a situation until you know all the details.

Sources: E Online, Us Weekly, People

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