Jermaine changes last name from Jackson to Jacksun

• Tweet

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Jermaine Jackson, a member of the Jackson musical dynasty, has legally changed his last name to Jacksun, Los Angeles court documents show.

Jermaine, 58, is a former member of the fraternal pop group The Jackson 5. He was an older brother of the late Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, and still performs with his siblings Tito, Marlon and Jackie.

The New York Daily News said a Los Angeles judge signed off on Jermaine's name-change petition Friday, but the singer wasn't in court to hear the approval because he was due to take the stage in Sweden with his brothers.

Jermaine's friend, Steve Dennis, told the newspaper Jermaine is not trying to distance himself from his famous family by changing his name as some have speculated.

"To him, it's no big deal. It's for artistic reasons. It's changing one letter to put in something bright and positive," Dennis said.

"Phonetically, it's still the same," Dennis said. "I don't think he'll be changing it as often as P. Diddy [Sean Combs.]"