Joe Jackson's behavior draws criticism

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LOS ANGELES, June 30 (UPI) -- Joe Jackson, father of the late pop star Michael Jackson, is drawing criticism for his actions in the wake of his son's death, observers say.

The senior Jackson's plugs for his record company at seemingly inappropriate moments as the world focused on the tragedy of Michael Jackson's death has upset fans and drawn condemnations from pundits, and could figure into a future custody battle over his grandchildren, The Times of London reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said the re-emergence of Joe Jackson, the iron-willed music business manager, has rekindled memories of his past as the parental force who drove his talented children to become pop idols.

At Sunday's BET Awards in Los Angeles, he promoted his record label as he walked up the red carpet to represent the family. Later on CNN, he introduced his business partner, Marshall Thompson, formerly lead singer of the Chi-Lites, saying, "Marshall and I, we own a record company called Ranch Records."

On Monday, during the first major appearance by a family member since his son's death, Joe Jackson again plugged his label, saying, "We have a lot of good artists pitching to come out."