[1] When James was only 14 years old, his mother Emma, who had been struggling to overcome the loss of her son Austin, left their family home in Kentwood, resulting in her being declared missing.
[5][12] In the 1980s, Spears ran a successful construction business, and he and Lynne decided to build and own a health and wellness spa.
In Jamie Lynn's memoir Things I Should Have Said, she claimed her father "...had a seafood restaurant called Granny's, known for crawfish and shrimp.
"[12] The restaurant, which was located at 401 3rd Street in Kentwood, LA, was owned by James' maternal grandmother Lexie Mae Thompson-Pierce.
In March 1993, Lexie Mae by "Act of Donation" gave Bryan Spears the land the restaurant was situated on valued at an estimated $20,000.
[14] Spears came to prominence as a public figure in 2019 with the rise of a movement to terminate his daughter's conservatorship, dubbed #FreeBritney.
[15] This movement garnered support from a number of celebrities, including Cher, Paris Hilton, and Miley Cyrus, as well as the nonprofit organization American Civil Liberties Union.
[16][17][18][19] On April 22, 2019, fans protested outside the West Hollywood City Hall to demand Britney's release from the psychiatric facility where she had been staying since Spears's illness in January.
[22] Britney's longtime care manager, Jodi Montgomery, temporarily replaced Spears as her conservator of the person on September 10, 2019.
[29] The same month, Jamie Spears' lawyer Vivian L. Thoreen spoke to Good Morning America in her client's defense, saying that she understands "that every story needs a villain, but people have it so wrong here.
[33] On November 12, 2021, the conservatorship was terminated by Judge Penny following Britney's public testimony in which she accused her management team and family of abuse.
"[36][37][38] Spears' grandson Jayden Federline stated in the same interview that his grandfather only had good intentions, saying: "He was trying to be like any father, like, pursue his daughter’s dream of being a superstar, working and doing all these concerts and performing.
"[43] Trawick thought that the conservatorship was in place not just for finances, but for therapy, structure and to stop her from seeing "certain individuals were not great for her to be in her life.
She filed for divorce in 1980, requesting a temporary restraining order, fearing that he would "become angry when he is served with these papers" and harass or harm her, "especially if he has been drinking alcoholic beverages, as he has done in the past."
[52] In October 2023, People magazine reported that Spears was hospitalized with a bacterial infection, and has been recovering in an infectious disease outpatient facility.