Britney Spears’ manager of 25 years reportedly resigns

Larry Rudolph, who has been Britney Spears’ manager for 25 years, has reportedly resigned, amid the controversy surrounding the singer’s conservatorship.

In a letter seen by showbiz news website Deadline, Rudolph says he has been told that Spears has shared her intention to “officially retire” from the music industry.

The message was addressed to Jamie Spears, the singer’s father, and her care-giver Jodi Montgomery – who jointly manage Spears’ conservatorship.

Rudolph reportedly said: “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.

“Please accept this letter as my formal resignation.”

The letter added: “I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together. I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I’ll be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been.”

Rudolph, who also manages Aerosmith and its singer Steve Tyler, oversaw Spears’ career from the mid-90s, when she rocketed to stardom.

Despite being under a conservatorship, Spears last performed on stage for a lucrative Las Vegas residency in 2018, but has since said she will not sing live while her father remains in control of her estate.

His resignation is another landmark in Spears’ conservatorship battle, after she delivered an emotional personal testimony at a hearing last month, when she expressed her wish for it to end.

The 39-year-old told a judge in court on 23 June that she wants the arrangements and restrictions on her life to be ended, without the need for a medical assessment, calling the conservatorship “abusive”.

She also revealed she wanted to be able to sue her family, and claimed she has been placed on contraception against her will and is being prevented from getting married.

In the days since, the Bessemer Trust, a financial management company that was hired to oversee Spears’s estate alongside her father, pulled out of the arrangement, saying there had been “changed circumstances”.