Wendy Williams' Family Say They're Still 'Denied Contact' but Are 'Rooting' for Her as She Marks Her 60th Birthday: Source

As Wendy Williams turns 60, her family is showing their support amid her ongoing legal troubles.

A source with knowledge of the situation exclusively tells PEOPLE that Williams' family is "rooting" for her as she celebrates her 60th birthday on Thursday, July 18. Her birthday comes as Williams remains under a court-ordered guardianship amid her primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.

"Wendy Williams’s family is unable to speak on her current condition and location due to ongoing litigation and the fact that they have largely been denied contact," the source says. "But they are all rooting and praying for Wendy and want to express their well wishes as she celebrates her 60th birthday."

The source adds, "She was, is and always will be an icon."

Sabrina Morrissey, Williams' court-ordered guardian, did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Tributes have been pouring in for Williams on her big day, with television network Fox Soul writing on social media, “Happy birthday to talk show legend⁠, Wendy Williams 💜 We love you!”

Cultural commentator Evan Ross Katz shared a heartfelt message to William on Instagram, along with two throwback photos of her on her namesake talk show. "Happy 60th birthday to the unyielding queen of daytime, the icon, the legend, the moment: Wendy Williams. We love you. We miss you. Pop culture just isn’t the same without your commentary. Wishing you health and happiness always," he wrote in the caption. 

Williams’ family has been struggling to keep in touch with the former talk show host since April of 2022 when her court-ordered guardianship began. 

In February, Williams’ sister Wanda Finnie told PEOPLE that she wasn't made aware of her diagnosis after she was placed in a facility to be treated for cognitive issues. At the time, Finnie stated that the family hadn't received information on Williams' diagnosis since the fall of 2021 when the star spent time in Florida with family.

"When she was in Florida, there were a number of people involved. Even beyond family, there were doctors involved, people in Wendy’s professional world that were involved," Finnie said. "She had a health team in place, nurses in place and she had family in place. She was getting healthier."

The family alleged that Morrissey is the only person who currently has unfettered access to her.

"How did she go from this aunt or sister that we love and is healthy one minute to this person who’s in and out of the hospital?" Finnie asked. "How is that system better than the system the family could put in place? I don't know. I do know that this system is broken. I hope that at some point, Wendy becomes strong enough where she can speak on her own behalf."

Amid the announcement of her diagnosis, Williams thanked fans in a statement exclusively obtained by PEOPLE for their "overwhelming" support.

"I want to say I have immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)," she wrote in a statement shared by her care team. "Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion."

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More recently in March, Morrissey called out Lifetime parent company A&E and its docuseries, Where Is Wendy Williams?, for "shamelessly" exploiting the former broadcaster amid her health challenges.

In the lawsuit, the guardian slammed the network's documentary, claiming that it "shamelessly exploits [Williams] and portrays her in an extremely demeaning and undignified manner."

Though Morrissey claimed she was unaware of the docuseries' nature, Mark Ford, the executive producer of the documentary, previously told PEOPLE that "Wendy's attorneys and the guardianship attorneys were consulted and signed off on" the project.

"The film was signed off on by Wendy, her management, her attorneys, the guardianship," he explained. "They were aware of the filming all the way through. So, we did go by the book and get all the permissions that we needed to get. We went into this film thinking it was one thing, and the truth turned out to be another. Once we started seeing the truth of the situation, we couldn't ignore it. And the film had to go in the direction of the truth."