Casey Aldridge acted as buffer standing between Jamie Lynn Spears and the pressures of Hollywood, PEOPLE reports

"He took amazing care of Jamie Lynn," a source close to the family tells PEOPLE. "Anything ever went wrong, he always comforted her. He took care of her."

Jamie Lynn and her mother say that Aldridge is the father of the 16-year-old Zoey 101 star's baby.

Aldridge, who is believed to be 18 or 19, has stayed largely out of the Hollywood spotlight, only occasionally accompanying Jamie Lynn to Hollywood events.

He grew up in Liberty, Miss., about 30 miles from the Spears family home base in Kentwood, La., and played high school baseball and football