Lionel Richie has disclosed a rather interesting nickname he once gave to Michael Jackson, which stemmed from Jackson’s hygiene practices.
The 76-year-old artist has released his first memoir, titled “Truly,” where he reveals intriguing anecdotes about his late friend, the legendary Michael Jackson.
In the memoir, Richie details Jackson’s close relationship with his family, stating that even after launching a successful solo career, creating groundbreaking albums, movies, and videos, Jackson maintained control over his own path.
Richie describes Jackson’s daily life as “eccentric,” likening him to an “absent-minded professor” while still retaining a youthful spirit.
This distinctive personality, combined with an apparent oversight of laundry, led to Jackson being humorously dubbed “Smelly.”
Interestingly, Richie was not the only one to use this nickname. Producer Quincy Jones also frequently teased Jackson with it.
Richie shared that Jackson would laugh at the nickname, acknowledging his tendency to overlook changing or washing his clothes for days. “We all have our quirks,” Richie said.
The American Idol judge speculated that Jackson’s immense fame contributed to this, as his busy schedule left little time for mundane tasks like shopping or laundry.
Richie wrote, “He was on tour performing in the elaborate costumes made for him by his stylists, or he was in his pajama bottoms and slippers in the studio. Or he was at home in something loose and comfortable so he could practice his dance moves and play with his menagerie of pets.”
When visiting Richie, Jackson would often arrive in whatever was closest at hand.
Richie recounted, “The jeans were either falling off him or too short to even be jeans and, well, smelly.”
In one instance, Richie asked Jackson about his worn-out pants, to which Jackson nonchalantly answered, “Lionel, I walked by a store in the Valley. The owner came out and gave me a free pair.”
Laundry wasn’t just a hassle for Jackson; it also posed a risk.
“Everybody kept something,” Richie noted, indicating that Jackson often wore the same clothes until they were no longer wearable.
This isn’t the first time Jackson’s cleanliness has been questioned. In 2014, former housekeepers alleged that Jackson “lived in a house of filth,” with one even claiming he used “doo-doo snowballs” to threaten staff.
A source once mentioned, “Michael sometimes ran around where the animals were, and he’d track… Poop throughout the house and think nothing of it.”
Richie’s memoir, “Truly,” is available now.