Lionel Richie is pulling back the curtain in his new memoir, and while fans might expect stories about chart-topping hits and legendary collaborations, one of the most surprising moments involves Michael Jackson.
The track icon recalls a behind-the-scenes experience with Jackson that touches on his personal hygiene and even reveals the unexpected nickname he once gave him.
During an interview with People, Richie shared how Quincy Jones once gave the “Bad” musician the nickname “Smelly,” and how Jackson would laugh.
“Michael would laugh too, realizing that he was oblivious to the fact that he hadn’t changed or washed his clothes for a couple of days or so,” he told the outlet.
The American Idol judge recalled how Jackson’s wardrobe seemed to shift with every setting.
“He was on tour performing in the elaborate costumes made for him by his stylists,” he said.
“Or he was in his pajama bottoms and slippers in the studio. Or he was in his going-out attire.”
At home, Richie added, Jackson favored something “loose and comfortable so he could practice his dance moves and play with his menagerie of pets.”
When it was just the two of them, the “Hello” singer says the “Thriller” star didn’t worry much about appearances or even deodorant.
“Whenever Michael came to visit me, he was wearing whatever. Jeans and a T-shirt,” Richie recalled.
“And the jeans were either falling off him or too short to even be jeans and, well, smelly.”
The “Dancing on the Ceiling” legend once asked about those ill-fitting pants, and the King of Pop gave a casual reply.
“‘Lionel, I walked by a store in the Valley. The owner came out and gave me a free pair.’” According to the Grammy winner, laundry was tricky for his friend on the road.
“Everybody kept something for a souvenir,” he wrote. “He just got into the habit of wearing the same pants until they were unwearable.”
The Commodores frontman stepped in when the “Billie Jean” singer showed up looking and smelling especially unkempt. Richie offered him clean jeans, fresh underwear, and urged him to finally take a shower. The pop superstar was grateful, but the night still ended with a laugh.
“As soon as I walked back into my house, I passed by the living room and noticed that there on the carpet was the pair of Michael Jackson’s underwear and his old ratty jeans. Just lying there like roadkill,” Richie wrote. “What do I do but laugh? MJ was here.”
Richie’s memoir, “Truly,” is out today.
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