Britney Spears’ Father Jamie Reportedly Has Leg Amputated Amid Health Issues

Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, reportedly had to have his leg amputated amid his recent health woes. After it was reported in October that Jamie, 71, had been “been hospitalized for weeks in a special infectious disease facility,” sources told TMZ in a Dec. 5 report that doctors were forced to amputate Jamie’s leg last month due to “a massive infection.”

Details of Jamie’s health crisis remain unclear at this time, though TMZ‘s report says Jamie was suffering from a serious infection that landed him in the hospital for weeks. It is unclear if the hospitalization is related to the initial hospitalization reported in October, in which sources told various outlets, including PEOPLE, that Jamie fell “severely ill” and had “been suffering with a bad infection” that “required surgery.” 

Most recently, sources claimed he underwent a total of five surgeries to contain an infection, but the surgeries were unsuccessful, forcing doctors to resort to amputation. A source from Spear’s hometown confirmed the news to Page Six, telling the outlet that Jamie “had a knee replacement and got a terrible infection from it.”

Jamie, who is now living in Louisiana, has reportedly been in ill health for some time and is dealing with a number of ailments. Reports surfaced in August that he was hospitalized “several months ago” after he developed complications following a knee replacement 16 years ago. TMZ reported at the time that Jamie was scheduled to undergo surgery to clear the infection and he “lost more than 25 pounds and is extremely thin.” In November 2018, he became “seriously ill” and was rushed to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where his colon “spontaneously ruptured.” He underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized for 28 days.

Amid her father’s most recent health struggles, Spears, who has remained estranged from her father after years of living under a strict conservatorship, is said to have “softened” toward her dad. According to sources, Spears has said on multiple occasions that she misses her father and once even “talked about sending him money to help him out.” 

There is said to be renewed hope for a reconciliation, something Jamie is reportedly eager for. Sources said he “harbors no ill will” against his daughter, who recently reunited with her mother and is said to now be communicating with her estranged sister, Jamie Lynn. The singer is said to be missing her family and wanting to reconnect with them. Spears hasn’t publicly spoken on her father’s health crisis.