Britney Spears has been contemplating official retirement from her music career, Deadline reported, citing a letter from Larry Rudolph, the pop star's veteran manager.
Rudolph, who has managed Spears for most of her career, submitted a resignation letter on Monday, sent to the singer's co-conservators Jamie Spears and Jodi Montgomery.
In the letter, obtained by Deadline, he pointed out that the last time he communicated with Britney - which was over 2.5 years ago - she was already set on taking an indefinite 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", the letter read.
FILE - This Sept. 7, 2008 file photo shows Britney Spears and her manager, Larry Rudolph after she won one of three awards at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles
© AP Photo / Kevork Djansezian
Rudolph's departure from Britney's team after 25 years comes as the "Oops!...I Did it Again" singer made explosive revelations about her conservatorship, a legal arrangement that has defined her life since 2008.
The star's financial and personal affairs were delegated to her father Jamie after a court found that Britney, who had suffered a mental breakdown, was unable to make her own decisions.
However, after more than a decade of living under the control of her dad, the singer made a public testimony at a Los Angeles court, where she likened the arrangement to sex trafficking, saying she was forced to work, take strong meds and birth control measures, and was essentially robbed of her freedoms.
Jamie Spears, right, father of singer Britney Spears, leaves the Stanley Mosk Courthouse Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, in Los Angeles
© AP Photo / Nick Ut
However, her request to have her dad removed from conservatorship was declined by the court as Jamie Spears claimed that he did not have authority over his daughter, stressing that temporary care manager Jodi Montgomery "has served continuously as the sole Conservator of the Person of Ms. Spears since September 2019 and continues to serve in that capacity".
Ever since the conservatorship was established, some of her fans have been waging #FreeBritney campaign, demanding that the pop idol be liberated from the arrangement. In 2019, the campaign was rekindled when fans believed the singer had sent secret messages via social media about her struggles - such as wearing a yellow outfit after being asked by commenters to do so if she needed help. Mass interest in her conservatorship grew further after The New York Times ran a documentary called Framing Britney Spears, about the singer's highs and lows throughout her career.