Although he soon emerged as a solo superstar, the late Michael Jackson began his legacy in a family act devised by his father Joseph Jackson, a former musician himself whose career quickly flopped in the 1950s. He may have fostered musical talent that would go on to earn millions, but when Joseph stepped into the role of manager, the family dynamic turned swiftly sour. Once he realized his family's immense musical talent, the patriarch behind the Jackson 5 was reportedly strict and enforced endless rehearsals on his young children. His actions as a father may have been questionable, but as a manager Joseph's ambition set the stage for international recognition. Joseph Jackson originally managed all of his children's music careers, but his power waned as the Jackson 5 became increasingly involved with Motown Records. Joseph regained a strong hand in his children's careers when he began managing their performances in Las Vegas and eventually negotiated a contract with Epic Records after the Jackson 5 left Motown. After the Jackson 5, now renamed the Jacksons, moved to Epic Records, Jermaine Jackson left his father's management company and his brothers followed suit. The reasons for this apparent estrangement between fathers and sons in what had once seemed to be a close-knit family remained vague for years afterward. The Jacksons' distanced father soared back into headlines in 1993 after Michael gave a television interview with Oprah Winfrey. Michael spoke candidly about what he described as a childhood robbed of innocence and marred by abuse. He remembered frequently crying from loneliness and even vomiting from terror at the sight of his father. Other Jackson children had also reported abuse. Marlon Jackson recalled one disturbing incident in which Joseph held Michael upside down by one leg and beat him viciously. Further tales of callous abuse emerged in 2003 when Joseph himself sat down for an interview with BBC reporter Louis Theroux. Joseph admitted to whipping his children with a belt, and expressed disgust at the idea of homosexuality. When Theroux mentioned Michael's interview with Oprah and his tales of vomiting upon seeing his father, Joseph responded "he regurgitates all the way to the bank. That's right."

In light of Michael Jackson's death on June 25, many are questioning if Joseph will step back into the picture, particularly as speculation brews about who will take custody of Michael's three children. Some news sites speculated that Joseph was present at the hospital where Michael was eventually pronounced dead; however, he told E! News that he was in Las Vegas at the time and was waiting to hear back from Michael's mother, Katherine. Michael's 2002 will reportedly left nothing to his father.

The Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker reported that the Jackson family was "horrified" by Joseph's shameless plug for his new record label while walking the red carpet to the BET Awards ceremony, which was completely reinvented to honor Michael after his death only days before. When asked about how his family was coping with Michael's death, Joseph told CNN reporter Don Lemon, "They are all doing fine. But I wanted to make this statement. This is a real good statement here! Marshall [Joseph's business partner] and me own a record label called Ranch Records."