After years of entertaining, it's possible that pop superstar Britney Spears has performed her last show, this according to her long-time manager Larry Rudolph. Spears has been in treatment for mental health issues, which was triggered after her father fell ill. Her Vegas residency was put on hiatus, and Rudolph said it was a mix of things that triggered the halt.
"It was the perfect storm," he said. "We had to pull her show because her meds stopped working and she was distraught over her dad's illness."
After coming out of treatment, which many believe the singer was forced into by her father, Spears' conservatorship was brought back to court by her mother, Lynne. Spears' father Jamie has been her conservator for more than 11 years, but Lynne believed he was acting out of turn when he "forced" her into the mental health facility. Rudolph says this is factually incorrect.
"I understand how much these fans love her and support her and I love that," Rudolph told Variety. "The part that concerns me is that it has no factual basis. The personal issues that Britney is dealing with are highly complicated and the conservatorship is there for a reason. The courts of the State of California take this very seriously. I hope the people allow her to have her private time."
Rudolph doesn't seem concerned about the conservatorship situation, but from the way he spoke to both Variety and TMZ, it sounds like fans should be concerned about whether the iconic pop star ever performs again.
"She's taking time to regroup and get her head together," Rudolph told Variety. "She's putting herself ahead of everyone else, and I'm proud of her for that. If she never works again, she never works again. My role is to handle her career when she wants a career. If she comes back strong and full of desire and passion and wants to do it, great. If she takes off six months or six years, it's totally fine. To me, it's about her finding her happy place."
"As the person who guides her career -- based on the information I and all of the professionals who work with her are being told on a need-to-know basis -- from what I have gathered it's clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again," he admitted to TMZ.
Rudolph does sound like he genuinely cares about Spears though, making it very clear that he just wants what's best for her, regardless of what that mean for her career.
"I've been with her for two-thirds of her life," he tells Variety. "I look at her almost like I look at my own daughter. It's very emotional for me ... and really rough. Personally, I want for her to just find a peaceful, happy place "” whatever that means for her. It's not about a career anymore "” it's about life."
"I don't want her to work again 'till she's ready, physically, mentally and passionately," he told TMZ. If that time never comes again it will never come again. I have no desire or ability to make her work again. I am only here for her when she wants to work. And, if she ever does want to work again, I'm here to tell her if it's a good idea or a bad idea. Last summer, when she wanted to tour, she called me every day. She was excited. She hasn't called me in months. Crickets. She clearly doesn't want to perform now."
Spears herself has been silent for a long while since entering treatment, but did post on Instagram on April 24th trying to reassure fans that she's fine.
I wanted to say hi, because things that are being said have just gotten out of control!!! Wow!!! There's rumors, death threats to my family and my team, and just so many things crazy things being said. I am trying to take a moment for myself, but everything that's happening is just making it harder for me.Don't believe everything you read and hear. These fake emails everywhere were crafted by Sam Lutfi years ago... I did not write them. He was pretending to be me and communicating with my team with a fake email address. My situation is unique, but I promise I'm doing what's best at this moment 🌸🌸🌸 You may not know this about me, but I am strong, and stand up for what I want!
Your love and dedication is amazing, but what I need right now is a little bit of privacy to deal with all the hard things that life is throwing my way. If you could do that, I would be forever grateful. Love you â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
It would be sad to know that the reason Spears stopped performing is because she was forced to step away, rather than it being a decision she made herself, but in the long run, I think it might be for the best. She's been working since she was a child, and now she's a mom with two kids. She needs to live as normal a life as possible.
