Lynne Spears

Lynne Irene Spears (born Lynne Irene Bridges; 1955) is an American author and mother of film and television producer Bryan Spears, pop singer Britney Spears, and country singer Jamie Lynn Spears.

Early life and family

Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi, to English mother Lilian Irene Portell (1924–1993), and Barney O'Field Bridges (1919–1978), an American G.I. In 1945, her parents met and married in Portell's native London. Spears's maternal great-grandfather, Edward Portelli, was a Maltese immigrant to the United Kingdom. Spears has an older brother, Barry "Sonny" Bridges (born 1951). Their older sister, Sandra Bridges Covington (1947–2007), died of ovarian cancer.

In 1975, she married James "Jamie" Spears. They were divorced in 2002 and reconciled in 2010. Jamie and Lynne Spears have three children: son Bryan James (born 1977) and daughters Britney Jean (born 1981) and Jamie Lynn (born 1991). They also have four grandchildren: grandsons Sean Preston Federline (born 2005) and Jayden James Federline (born 2006) from Britney and granddaughters Maddie Briann Aldridge (born 2008) from Jamie Lynn and Sophia (born 2011) from Bryan.

Later life and fame

Spears owned and operated a day care in their hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana and later worked as a schoolteacher. In 1993, her daughter Britney joined the new Mickey Mouse Club for two seasons.

Spears has co-written two books with her daughter Britney. The first, Heart to Heart, was published in 2000 as a biographical book about Britney. A Mother's Gift was a novel released in 2001 and has been adapted into a TV movie, Brave New Girl. A 2008 memoir, Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World, followed. Spears is a devout Christian, and openly discussed this in her memoir.