In his new memoir Really, award-winning singer Lionel Richie touched on Michael Jackson’s clothes decisions and why Quincy Jones nicknamed the deceased King of Pop “smelly.”
Jackson died of acute cardiac arrest from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009. He was 50. Jones, then again, succumbed to pancreatic most cancers on November 3, 2024, on the age of 91.
“Michael was very shut along with his household, however as soon as he went solo, making these monster albums, films, and movies, he was in control of his personal ship. His day-to- day life was what you could possibly name eccentric and intensely chaotic,” Richie, 76, recalled, per Leisure Weekly.
“Quincy used to tease [Jackson] with the nickname ‘Smelly,’” Richie added. “Michael would giggle too, realizing that he was oblivious to the truth that he hadn’t modified or washed his garments for a few days. Or so. All of us have our quirks. Michael didn’t purchase garments such as you or me. He couldn’t simply go to department shops or Beverly Hills boutiques. 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 dwelling in one thing free and cozy so he might apply his dance strikes.”
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Richie additionally said that a few of Jackson’s “thrown-collectively seems — white socks and black loafers, say — grew to become world style statements.”
“These loafers had been incredible for moonwalking or going up on pointe,” the All Night time Lengthy singer continued. “At any time when Michael came visiting me, he was carrying no matter — denims and a T-shirt. And the denims had been both falling off him or too brief to even be denims and, effectively, smelly.”
Richie additionally mentioned that every time he requested Jackson the place he bought these denims, the Easy Legal singer would inform him that he bought them from a clothes retailer proprietor after making his method there.
“I’d counsel he return and get a pair that match,” Richie wrote. “On the highway, if Michael despatched his garments to the resort cleaners, solely half of the gadgets would come again. Every thing else was stored for souvenirs. He simply bought into the behavior of carrying the identical pants till they had been unwearable.”
Richie, nevertheless, made it clear that the teasing was not private. “We teased him, nevertheless it was out of affection so he didn’t thoughts,” he said.
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