Britney Spears‘s father, Jamie Spears, is fighting for his life.
As the Spears family patriarch, 66, continues to recover from a life-threatening colon rupture, the singer, 37, announced on Wednesday that she is taking time away from the spotlight to focus on her father’s ailing health and to take some “me time,” including checking herself into a facility for “all-encompassing wellness treatment,” a source told PEOPLE.
Below, everything to know about Jamie’s ongoing health battle.
His Colon Rupture
Per a January statement from Spears’s team, Jamie became “seriously ill” in November 2018 and was rushed to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where his colon “spontaneously ruptured,” causing him to undergo emergency surgery. The cause for his ruptured colon — also known as the large bowel or large intestine — has yet to be confirmed.
Jamie, who also is a father to Bryan Spears, 41, and Jamie Lynn Spears, 27, with Britney’s mom, Lynne, was hospitalized for 28 days, according to the statement.
“After a long, complicated post-operative period, he is recuperating at home and gaining strength, and is expected to make a full recovery,” the statement continued.
“I am dedicating my focus and energy to care for my family,” the pop star added in a the statement. “We have a very special relationship and I want to be with my family at this time just like they have always been there for me.”
At the time, Spears opened up about her father’s health crisis on Twitter when she shared an emotional message in which she would be taking an indefinite break from work and delay her much-anticipated Las Vegas residency, Domination.
“It’s important to always put your family first… and that’s the decision I had to make,” Spears tweeted Jan. 4. “A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him.”
Undergoing a Second Surgery
On March 5, The Blast reported Jamie would be undergoing a second surgery the following week in hopes of fully repairing his colon. Per the outlet, the second surgery was expected to have a “longer recovery time.
At the time, a source told PEOPLE, “Britney is continuing to focus on her family” amid her dad’s health crisis.
On Wednesday, a source confirmed Jamie recently underwent the second procedure.
“He nearly died and actually had another surgery a few weeks ago,” the source said. “He’s not doing well.”
How His Health Crisis Is Affecting Britney
On April 3, the pop icon alluded to taking some time off when she posted an empowering quote — “Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind, body, spirit” — to her Instagram, along with the caption: “We all need to take time for a little ‘me time’ :).”
The same day, a source told PEOPLE exclusively that the singer checked into a facility for “all-encompassing wellness treatment.”
At the time, a separate source close to the family told PEOPLE, “Britney just needed to focus on herself” as she cares for her father.
“Her dad being sick has taken a toll on her,” the family source said, adding: “There is nothing dramatic going on with her — she just realized she needs to make sure to take time to care for herself.”
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