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Judge Expected to Formalize End of Britney Spears Guardianship

Des fans de Britney Spears rassemblés devant le tribunal de Stanley Mosk, le 29 septembre 2021 à Los Angeles, en Californie
Des fans de Britney Spears rassemblés devant le tribunal de Stanley Mosk, le 29 septembre 2021 à Los Angeles, en Californie
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Judge Expected to Formalize End of Britney Spears Guardianship

Des fans de Britney Spears rassemblés devant le tribunal de Stanley Mosk, le 29 septembre 2021 à Los Angeles, en Californie
Des fans de Britney Spears rassemblés devant le tribunal de Stanley Mosk, le 29 septembre 2021 à Los Angeles, en Californie

A Los Angeles judge is expected on Friday to formally approve the process of ending a controversial guardianship that has controlled pop star Britney Spears' life for the past 13 years.

The "Toxic" singer last month successfully had her father removed from the conservatorship -- which she has slammed as "abusive" -- and a temporary replacement of her choosing was appointed.

Judge Brenda Penny then also agreed to a request from Spears' lawyer to set another "short hearing" to formalize the "uncontested termination" of the conservatorship itself.

"This week is gonna be very interesting for me! I haven't prayed for something more in my life," Spears wrote in a now-deleted Instagram caption this week, AFP reported.

At last month's hearing, both sides voiced their support for swiftly ending the guardianship.

Confirming an earlier U-turn, lawyers for Britney's father Jamie in fact asked for it to be dissolved on the spot.

While denying he abused his position in control of his pop singer daughter's life and career, he has recently acknowledged that Britney "believes that she can handle her own life."

But Judge Penny consented to set a later date in order to allow Britney's lawyer Mathew Rosengart to present a comprehensive plan for the conservatorship's dissolution.

Another, later hearing in December is scheduled to settle outstanding financial issues, including legal fees.

- 'Free Britney' -

Friday's hearing could cap a years-long campaign by Spears and her legion of global fans to end a conservatorship that began after her highly public 2007 breakdown, when the shaven-headed star attacked a paparazzo's car at a gas station.

Now 39, Spears has said through her lawyers that her father was "never fit to serve," citing in one petition allegations of his "reported alcoholism" and "trauma he caused his daughter since her childhood."

As momentum has mounted, Spears said in a September filing that she wanted to end the guardianship as soon as possible so that she can marry her fiance Sam Asghari with a prenuptial agreement.

Spears has two children with former husband rapper Kevin Federline, and had a brief Las Vegas marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander that was annulled after just 55 hours.

She has previously alleged in court that she had been prevented by her father from having a contraceptive IUD removed, despite wanting more children. Jamie Spears denied the allegation.

He was removed from the guardianship with immediate effect at last month's hearing, with accountant John Zabel installed to care for her finances until the scheme ends.

Professional conservator Jodie Montgomery officially remains responsible for Britney's person until December 31, although her role could be terminated on Friday.

It is not known if Spears will appear, or address the court via telephone as she did earlier this summer.

A raucous army of fans bearing "Free Britney" signs have been a regular fixture outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse during hearings.

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Jeannie Seely, Soulful Country Singer behind Hits Like 'Don't Touch Me,' Dies at 85

FILE - Jeannie Seely arrives at the 56th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 9, 2022. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Jeannie Seely arrives at the 56th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 9, 2022. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
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Jeannie Seely, Soulful Country Singer behind Hits Like 'Don't Touch Me,' Dies at 85

FILE - Jeannie Seely arrives at the 56th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 9, 2022. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Jeannie Seely arrives at the 56th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 9, 2022. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Jeannie Seely, the soulful country music singer behind such standards like “Don’t Touch Me,” has died. She was 85.

Her publicist, Don Murry Grubbs, said she died Friday after succumbing to complications from an intestinal infection.

Known as “Miss Country Soul” for her unique vocal style, Seely was a trailblazer for women in country music, celebrated for her spirited nonconformity and for a string of undeniable hits in the ‘60s and ’70s.

Her second husband, Gene Ward, died in December. In May, Seely revealed that she was in recovery after undergoing multiple back surgeries, two emergency procedures and spending 11 days in the ICU. She also suffered a bout of pneumonia.

“Rehab is pretty tough, but each day is looking brighter and last night, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine!” she said in a statement at the time. “The unsinkable Seely is working her way back.”

Dolly Parton was one of several country music luminaries paying her tribute on Friday, saying she met Seely when they were both young and starting out in Nashville, The Associated Press said.

“She was one of my dearest friends,” Parton said on her social media accounts. “I think she was one of the greater singers in Nashville and she had a wonderful sense of humor. We had many wonderful laughs together, cried over certain things together and she will be missed."

Seely was born in July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, about two hours north of Pittsburgh and raised in nearby Townville. Her love of country music was instant; her mother sang, and her father played the banjo. When she was a child, she sang on local radio programs and performed on local television. In her early 20s, she moved to Los Angeles to kick-start a career, taking a job with Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood.

She kept writing and recording. Nashville was next: She sang on Porter Wagoner's show; she got a deal with Monument Records. Her greatest hit would arrive soon afterward: “Don’t Touch Me,” the crossover ballad written by Hank Cochran. The song earned Seely her first and only Grammy Award, for best country & western vocal performance in the female category.

Cochran and Seely were married in 1969 and divorced in 1979.

Seely broke boundaries in her career — at a time when country music expected a kind of subservience from its women performers, Seely was a bit of a rebel, known for wearing a miniskirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage when it was still taboo.

And she had a number of country hits in the ‘60s and ’70s, including three Top 10 hits on what is now known as Billboard's hot country songs chart: “Don't Touch Me,” 1967's “I'll Love You More (Than You Need)” and 1973's “Can I Sleep In Your Arms?”, adapted from the folk song “Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?”

In the years since, Seely continued to release albums, perform, and host, regularly appearing on country music programming. Her songs are considered classics, and have been recorded by everyone from Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Connie Smith to Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens.

And Seely never stopped working in country music. Since 2018, she's hosted the weekly “Sunday’s with Seely” on Willie Nelson's Willie’s Roadhouse SiriusXM channel. That same year, she was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame.

She appeared nearly 5,400 times at the Grand Ole Opry, which she has been a member of since 1967. Grubbs said Saturday's Grand Ole Opry show would be dedicated to Seely.

She released her latest song in July 2024, a cover of Dottie West's “Suffertime,” recorded at the world-renowned RCA Studio B. She performed it at the Opry the year before.