Pop icons sympathetic for Britney Spears

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. show business figures expressed sympathy Saturday for troubled singer Britney Spears after she lost custody of her children in a Los Angeles court.

Spears, 25, lost her bid Monday to regain custody of her two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, from ex-husband Kevin Federline.

She also topped digital download charts with her new single, “Gimme More”, fought allegations of an apparent sex tape, and continued to be the subject of tabloid fodder since the court ruling, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Leading pop culture voices, from Dr. Phil McGraw to former child star, Tatum O’Neal, and even Roseanne Barr, expressed their concern over Spears’ well-being.

Dr. Phil dedicated an edition of his “Dr. Phil” show to Spears’ situation. “Maybe she needs to be involuntarily committed”, McGraw said on his show.

Tatum O’Neal, who won an Oscar for her role in “The Paper Moon” at the age of 10, likened her experience as a heroin addict and young mother to Spears recent experiences. “It was very humbling”, O’Neal told “Entertainment Tonight” Barr told the entertainment news magazine, TMZ, “she needs a mother.”