MICHAEL JACKSON's father JOE JACKSON has defended his decision to make seemingly inappropriate plugs for his latest business venture during a press conference over his son's death.

The Jackson patriarch has come under fire from fans and commentators over his behaviour since the star's tragic demise - and has been accused of using the passing of his most famous son to boost publicity for his newly-launched record label.

During an interview with CNN, in which he was expected to make comments about Jackson's funeral, the 79 year old introduced his business partner, Marshall Thompson, and went on to explain the workings of his new venture.

He told reporters, "Marshall and I have - we own a record company. Talking about Blu-ray technology. That's the next step."

But despite the outcry over Jackson's apparent lack of emotion, he has explained he is "crying on the inside," and was simply answering questions posed to him by journalists about what his own future holds.

He says, "I was asked a question last night about the record company... We have a lot of good artists fixing to come out.

"I was asked that question and I answered just like it was asked because they wanted to know what else I was doing."

And close family pal Reverend Al Sharpton also defended Jackson's self-promotion tactics, insisting his comments on the business had been misconstrued by the press.

He explains, "Some misinterpreted (what) Mr Jackson said. He said it because he wanted to send a signal to the world that the Jackson family's going to continue doing what Michael did."

The Thriller hitmaker always insisted he endured a troubled relationship with his father - claiming Joe beat him and forced him to abandon his childhood to pursue fame and fortune.