If Britney Spears were to die today, it appears that at least one news organization is admitting that it is ready to go with her obituary.

TMZ.com reported that The Associated Press has a pre-written obituary ready to go for the embattled pop singer. The celebrity gossip Web site confirmed the obituary with AP Entertainment Editor Jesse Washington, who explained the reasoning of the article to Us Weekly.

"We would never wish any type of misfortune on anybody and hope that we would never have to use it until 50 years from now, but if something were to happen, we would have to be prepared," Washington told the magazine.

Washington also told Us that the AP has a "pretty extensive obituary operation," and that staffers are "constantly adding people."

Pre-written or pre-taped obituaries are not uncommon in the news industry, especially for high-profile people who are ill or elderly.

Spears, 26 has dominated headlines in recent weeks because of her child custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

She appeared at a Los Angeles courthouse Monday, but left immediately without attending a child custody hearing. Court commissioner Scott Gordon ruled that her suspended visitation rights with her two young sons remain in effect.

The hearing came after an event earlier in the month in which police had Spears taken to a hospital after a standoff in her home when she refused to return the children to Federline's bodyguard after a visit.