Cher, 80, was photographed for the first time since the death of her longtime friend and collaborator, fashion designer Bob Mackie, who died of pneumonia on Monday morning in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 87.
The singer was spotted at the airport with a friend, author Dr Janet Zand, as they caught a flight to New York City on Monday afternoon, just hours after Mackie's death.
Cher wore black sunglasses with her dark hair down, modeling an all-black outfit from designer Chrome Hearts with white sneakers. She carried a coat as helpers pushed her luggage to the terminal.
Earlier that day, Cher shared a tribute to Mackie on X. "My dear Bob has gone up to heaven," she wrote. "Knowing him, he's bringing Sequins, Beads, & his sketch pad. Good nite sweet Prince."
Their Decades-Long Collaboration
Cher worked closely with Mackie during her early years of fame, when she starred on The Sonny and Cher Show. Mackie was also responsible for some of her racier, showgirl-style red carpet looks, including her 1986 Oscars outfit that flashed her stomach.
From Carol Burnett to the Sonny & Cher Show
One of Mackie's first jobs was as costumer for The Carol Burnett Show, which ran from 1967 to 1978. His most famous creation for that show was his "curtain rod" Scarlett O'Hara dress from Gone With the Wind, worn by Burnett in the hit sketch Went With the Wind!
"He saved me and many a comedy sketch by coming up with wonderfully funny character outfits that not only enhanced the writing but many times gave me the clue as to what the character I was playing was all about," Burnett wrote in the introduction to Frank DeCaro's 1999 book, Unmistakably Mackie.
The Carol Burnett Show is where Mackie met Cher, and the pair went on to have a fruitful working relationship. He was hired as costume designer for her show The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which premiered in 1971.
The Risqué 1986 Oscars Gown
In 1986, Cher wore one of Mackie's risqué gowns to the Oscars when she presented the best supporting actor award to Don Ameche. The look combined black stretch pants, a bejeweled loincloth, knee-high boots, a black chain-link top and a large feathered Mohawk headdress.
"Critics said, 'Well, that's not fashion,'" he remembered. "Well, it wasn't meant to be fashion. She wanted to do it just because it was fun."
Mackie received 32 Emmy nominations over the course of his career, along with three Oscar nominations for his work on the films Lady Sings the Blues, Funny Lady and Pennies From Heaven.
A Broadway and Theatre Legacy
Mackie also designed costumes for numerous theatrical productions, including Lorelei starring Carol Channing, On the Town with Bernadette Peters, and Platinum starring Alexis Smith. He also worked on Moon Over Buffalo and Putting It Together with Burnett, and said he loved collaborating with Liza Minnelli on Minnelli Starring Liza.
Influence on Today's Stars
Mackie's influence can be seen in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. His archival pieces are worn today by stars including Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya, the latter of whom wore a Mackie gown to honor Cher at an induction ceremony. When Taylor Swift wanted to look like a showgirl on the cover of her 2025 album, she turned to original Mackie pieces.
Mackie was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2002.
'Not Afraid to Be Noticed'
"You want the audience to be surprised when they walk out," Mackie once said. "You want them to swoon or ooh or ahh or clap, all of that is important, it's part of the business of show business. It's exciting. If a woman is going to do an hour and a half onstage and she's just in a little black dress, she'd better be Judy Garland. You're there to see her, you're not just listening. So there needs to be something visual."
He also said: "A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed."
Retail Success and Personal Life
Mackie had retail success in the 1980s and '90s, launching a ready-to-wear line in 1982 that eventually landed on the runway at New York Fashion Week. He was also an early partner of the shopping network QVC.
Mackie was married to showgirl Lulu Porter from 1960 until 1963. Their son, makeup artist Robert Gordon Mackie Jr, died from AIDS at age 35. Mackie's longtime partner, costume designer Ray Aghayan, died in 2011.
