Britney Spears' Life in Photos: A Timeline of the Star's Rise, Fall and Comeback

Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981 in the small town of Kentwood, Louisiana (population 2,200). Her father, Jamie, had a drinking problem, and as his construction business faced a downturn, her mother, Lynne, devoted herself to nurturing her eldest daughter's talent from the time Britney was three.