Britney Spears' Father Jamie Spears Had Leg Amputated: Sources

Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears had his leg amputated about a month ago, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE.

Jamie, 71, spent weeks in the hospital for a bacterial infection in one of his legs, sources say.

A representative for Jamie did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

As previously reported by PEOPLE in October, Jamie was severely ill and was hospitalized with a bacterial infection earlier this year.

At the time, PEOPLE confirmed that the dad of three was on the mend and was in an infectious disease outpatient facility.

In November 2018, Jamie also became “seriously ill” and was rushed to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where his colon “spontaneously ruptured.”

According to a statement from Britney’s team obtained by PEOPLE at the time, Jamie underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized for 28 days. 

"After a long, complicated post-operative period, he is recuperating at home and gaining strength, and is expected to make a full recovery,” the statement said.

“I am dedicating my focus and energy to care for my family,” Britney added in the statement at the time. “We have a very special relationship and I want to be with my family at this time just like they have always been there for me.”

The singer went on to open up about her dad’s health two months later on social media. 

In a since-deleted post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the musician said that she would be taking an indefinite break from work and delaying her Las Vegas residency, Domination, amid her father’s health scare. 

“It’s important to always put your family first… and that’s the decision I had to make,” she wrote in a January 2019 post. “A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him.”

Along with Britney, Jamie also shares daughter Jamie Lynn, 32, and son Bryan, 46, with his ex-wife Lynne, 68.

Britney has shared a strained relationship with her family since she was placed under a conservatorship in 2008. Two months before the conservatorship was terminated in November 2021, her father was removed from his role as Britney's estate conservator.

On Saturday, PEOPLE confirmed that Britney was joined by her mother and brother as she celebrated turning 42 with a party in Los Angeles on Saturday. 

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“Being together and celebrating her birthday was a really nice moment for the family," a source said.

Meanwhile, another source exclusively told PEOPLE that Lynne is “really making an effort to be in Britney’s life.”

“Britney likes spending time with her,” the insider added. "They have a complicated relationship, but it seems they both need each other."