Overview

• Richie’s debut memoir, Truly, published Tuesday, includes anecdotes about Jackson’s hygiene and the origin of the “Smelly” nickname.
• Richie writes that Quincy Jones jokingly used the nickname and that Jackson sometimes went a couple of days without changing or washing clothes.
• He attributes the habits to Jackson’s nonstop schedule and practical hurdles such as fans keeping items as souvenirs and clothes not returning from dry cleaners.
• Richie recalls visits where Jackson wore ill-fitting, smelly jeans and said a store owner in the Valley once handed him a free pair.
• Recent coverage cites earlier 2014 housekeeper allegations about unsanitary conditions but reports no independent corroboration of Richie’s account or response from Jackson’s estate.