Bob Mackie, the Hollywood costume designer best known for his decades of work with Cher, Carol Burnett and Diana Ross, has died at age 87. He died of pneumonia in a hospital in Palm Springs, California, on Monday morning, according to the New York Times.
Mackie's team confirmed the news in a statement shared on Instagram. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today," the statement began. "He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world."
Mackie worked on the famous sketch for Marilyn Monroe's iconic Happy Birthday, Mr. President dress in 1962, which was designed by Jean Louis. When Monroe requested a skin-tight, "naked" look for the gala, Louis directed Mackie to create the preliminary design illustration.
Decades Dressing Cher
Mackie was best known for creating the over-the-top showgirl-style dresses for singer Cher, work that earned him the nickname Sultan of Sequins. The Los Angeles native also worked with Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Ann-Margret and Bette Midler, and he designed gowns for Madonna, Sharon Stone and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as concert costumes for Pink.
Tributes Pour In
Pink, one of his clients, wrote a tribute online. "Gutted to learn that one of my heroes has passed on. Bob Mackie, the one and only, the legend. I was so lucky to be dressed by him for so long. He was loving, wickedly funny and an absolute genius," she said. "He was one of one. He will be dearly missed and my heart goes out to Joe, and his entire family and all of his loved ones. There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels."
Actor Kristin Chenoweth called him a "legend," while designer Isaac Mizrahi wrote simply, "heartbroken." Actor Alyssa Milano called him "one of the best that ever was."
Carol Burnett Show Beginnings
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 the series was the "curtain rod" Scarlett O'Hara dress from a Gone With the Wind sketch titled 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.
It was on the Burnett show that Mackie met Cher, launching a long working relationship. He went on to design costumes for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, which premiered in 1971.
The 1986 Oscars Gown
In 1986, Cher wore one of Mackie's most daring gowns to the Academy Awards, where she presented the best supporting actor Oscar 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,'" Mackie once recalled. "Well, it wasn't meant to be fashion. She wanted to do it just because it was fun."
Emmy Nominations and Theatre Work
Mackie was a 32-time Emmy nominee and a three-time Oscar nominee for his work on the films Lady Sings the Blues, Funny Lady and Pennies From Heaven.
He also designed costumes for numerous theatrical productions, including Lorelei starring Carol Channing, On the Town with Bernadette Peters, and Platinum starring Alexis Smith. He worked on Moon Over Buffalo and Putting It Together with Burnett, and said he loved collaborating with Liza Minnelli on Minnelli Starring Liza.
Legacy in Fashion
Mackie's influence can be seen in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, while his archival pieces are worn today by the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya, who wore a Mackie gown to honor Cher at an induction ceremony. When Taylor Swift wanted a showgirl look for the cover of her 2025 album, she turned to original Mackie designs.
Career Milestones and Philosophy
Mackie was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2002. He said he wanted his clients to stand out. "You want the audience to be surprised when they walk out," he 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."
Mackie found retail success in the 1980s and '90s, launching a ready-to-wear line in 1982 that eventually reached the runway at New York Fashion Week, and he was an early partner of QVC.
Personal Life
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. Costume designer Ray Aghayan, Mackie's longtime partner, died in 2011.
