Music

Britney Spears’s manager quits and says singer may retire

Larry Rudolph’s letter to Spears’s conservators says his ‘services are no longer needed’

If Britney retired, it would bring to an end one of the most successful – and scrutinised – pop careers in US history. Photograph: PA Wire

Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Tue Jul 6 2021 - 11:05

Britney Spears's manager Larry Rudolph, who has managed the singer since her mid-90s breakthrough, has resigned and said the singer possibly intends to retire.

In a letter sent to Spears' conservators, father Jamie Spears and Jodi Montgomery, and first reported by Deadline, he wrote: "It has been over 2 1/2 years since Britney and I last communicated, at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus. Earlier today, I became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire.

“As you know, I have never been a part of the conservatorship nor its operations, so I am not privy to many of these details. I was originally hired at Britney’s request to help manage and assist her with her career. And as her manager, I believe it is in Britney’s best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed.”

He added that he wished Britney “all the health and happiness in the world”.

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His decision continues a flurry of activity around Britney in recent weeks. Since 2008 she has been subject to a court-appointed conservatorship that restricts her freedoms on mental health grounds.

In June, she appeared at a court hearing and characterised the conservatorship as abusive. The following week, a judge denied a request to have Jamie Spears removed from the conservatorship. Wealth management firm Bessemer Trust, which had been appointed as a co-conservator in 2020, has since removed itself from the arrangement, citing "the fact that the conservatee claimed irreparable harm to her interests" under its terms.

If Britney retired, it would bring to an end one of the most successful – and scrutinised – pop careers in US history. Six of her nine albums have topped the US charts, and songs such as … Baby One More Time, Oops! … I Did It Again and Toxic helped to define the pop sound of the turn of the century.

In the UK, she has had 23 Top 10 singles, six of them number ones. Her most recent album is 2016’s Glory. – Guardian

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