Lionel Richie Says Pal Michael Jackson Was Nicknamed ‘Smelly’

Lionel Richie is actually an open e-book.

The Grammy winner and American Idol judge, 76, has launched his new memoir Truly, out Sept. 30, and in it, he is sharing fascinating never-before-told tales. “To be trustworthy with you, I don’t understand how I remembered a whole lot of stuff,” the star advised PEOPLE completely of his writing course of.

One reminiscence that stood out was the bond he had with shut buddy Michael Jackson on the peak of his fame. In Truly, he describes how he and the King of Pop had been deeply bonded over music, however differed tremendously when it got here to how they went about each day life.

“Michael was very shut with his siblings and his mom, however as soon as he went solo, making these monster albums, motion pictures and videos, he was answerable for his personal ship,” writes Richie. “His day-to-day life was what you can name eccentric. Like an absent-minded professor however nonetheless a child.”

As an example, Richie shares that fellow music icon Quincy Jones used to tease Jackson with the nickname “Smelly.”

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“Michael would chuckle too, realizing that he was oblivious to the truth that he hadn’t modified or washed his garments for a few days or so,” writes Richie. “All of us have our quirks.”

Richie shares in Truly that Jackson’s poor hygiene was, paradoxically, due partially to his excessive stage of fame, and that he usually lived on the highway and could not simply pop into department shops to buy issues like anybody else.

“He was on tour performing within the elaborate costumes made for him by his stylists, or he was in his pajama bottoms and slippers within the studio or he was in his going-out apparel. Or he was at residence in one thing unfastened and comfy so he might follow his dance strikes and play along with his menagerie of pets,” describes Richie.

When it was simply the 2 of them collectively, he says Jackson placed on no airs — or deodorant.

“At any time when Michael came visiting me, he was sporting no matter — denims and a t-shirt. And the denims had been both falling off him or too brief to even be denims and, properly, smelly,” writes Richie.

When Richie as soon as requested about his pants, he says the celebrity responded, “‘Lionel, I walked by a retailer within the Valley. The proprietor got here out and gave me a free pair’.”

He shares that when Jackson was touring he could not merely ship his garments out to be cleaned as a result of, very often, his belongings would not be returned.

“All people stored one thing for a memento,” writes Richie. “He simply received into the behavior of sporting the identical pants till they had been unwearable.”

However Richie was the sort of buddy to lend a serving to hand. One time, when Jackson came to visit trying and smelling notably unkempt, Richie writes that he gave the star a pair of denims, clear underwear and inspired him to bathe for the primary time in days.

“I drove him residence, on his again streets, and he was candy and grateful. As quickly as I walked again into my home, I handed by the lounge and observed that there on the carpet was the pair of Michael Jackson’s underwear and his outdated ratty denims. Simply mendacity there like roadkill,” he writes. “What do I do however chuckle? MJ was right here.”

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Whereas he shares that the singer was a musical savant who “might examine 15 totally different mixes of the identical track and will inform them aside,” his each day life was a special story. “In his each day coming and going, that child was winging it each minute,” he writes.

Truly by Lionel Richie is obtainable now, wherever books are offered.