Bob Mackie, the fashion and costume designer whose bold Hollywood creations helped define glamour in the 1970s, died Monday at the age of 87.
Mackie became famous for creating some of the most memorable looks for stars including Cher, Marilyn Monroe and Carol Burnett. His publicist said he died of pneumonia in Palm Springs, California.
“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,” a statement posted on his social media accounts said.
Known as the “Designer to the Stars,” Mackie won nine Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and received three Oscar nominations. One of his Oscar-nominated works was the sheer batwing gown worn by Barbra Streisand in the film “Funny Lady.” He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Mackie designed gowns for Madonna, Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as concert costumes for Pink.
He also designed Marilyn Monroe’s famous sheer, beaded gown for her breathy performance of “Happy Birthday” at a 1962 fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee.
His influence lives on
Mackie’s impact on fashion can still be seen in the work of designers and celebrities today. His creations have been worn by Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus, Zendaya, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid.
Zendaya wore a Mackie gown while honoring Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Taylor Swift also used Mackie’s original designs as inspiration for her showgirl look on the cover of her 2025 album “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Sequins, rhinestones and glitter were among Mackie’s favorite design elements, earning him nicknames such as the “Sultan of Sequins” and “Guru of Glitter.”
But his design philosophy was simple.
“You don’t try to change anybody, you just try to make them look better than ever,” he told The Associated Press in 2018.
Tributes poured in following his death. Actor Kristin Chenoweth called him a “legend,” while designer Isaac Mizrahi wrote that he was “heartbroken.” Actor Alyssa Milano described him as “one of the best that ever was.”
A career spanning Hollywood and Broadway
Mackie also had a successful career on Broadway. He designed costumes for “On the Town” in 1971 and “Moon Over Buffalo” in 1995. His other Broadway projects included “Debbie” in 1976, “Minnelli on Minnelli” in 1999 and “The Cher Show,” for which he won his Tony Award.
Born and raised in Southern California, Mackie developed a love for Hollywood glamour as a child after watching Technicolor musicals. He sketched elaborate outfits for his mother and sister and became involved in costume and set design for school productions.
He studied advertising and illustration at Pasadena City College before studying costume design at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles.
Mackie later worked for legendary costume designer Edith Head before landing a job on “The Carol Burnett Show.”
Close partnership with Cher and Burnett
Mackie and Burnett became close friends and collaborators. He created costumes for some of her most memorable characters, including Nora Desmond, Eunice and her parody of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind,” called Starlet O’Hara.
For Starlet O’Hara, Burnett wore the famous green curtain dress still attached to its curtain rods. The costume is now part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
“I love doing funny things,” Mackie told AP in 1999. “One week I’d have to make Carol an unattractive postal worker, and who knows what I’d have to do the next.”
Mackie later worked on “The Sonny and Cher Show” after Cher appeared as a guest on Burnett’s program and became fond of his designs. He said Cher’s Laverne character, dressed in a leopard-print jumpsuit with dangling earrings, was one of his favorites.
Their partnership later took a more daring direction when Cher moved into movies and began attending the Academy Awards. Mackie created the beaded, midriff-baring outfits that became a signature of her red-carpet appearances.
At the 1974 Met Gala, Cher wore one of Mackie’s most famous creations — a sheer, beaded gown with feathered sleeves and a feathered skirt. The dress and Cher appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Other memorable looks included a beaded spiderweb outfit with a matching Mohawk in 1986 and a revealing gown she wore after winning the best actress Oscar in 1988.
“The outfits are sometimes mistaken for fashion, but they’re costumes like for a character in a play,” Mackie told AP in 1999. “I want people to have fun. I want people to say ‘Wasn’t that interesting?’ or ‘Wasn’t that wild?’”
Mixed views on modern fashion
Mackie also found some commercial success. He launched a ready-to-wear clothing line in 1982 that later appeared at New York Fashion Week and became an early partner of QVC.
Although revealing dresses became increasingly popular, Mackie later expressed frustration with what he saw as repetitive and overly exposed red-carpet fashion.
“You watch awards shows and say, ‘Oh, cover up! Put it away! Honey, I don’t need to see all of that!’” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024.
He also criticized the similar looks worn by celebrities at the Met Gala, saying he was bored by the lack of originality.
Mackie also designed dozens of Barbie dolls for Mattel, featuring different faces, body types and stories. He is credited with being the first designer to create an entire Barbie doll, including a Lady Dracula Cher doll with small fangs and a coffin-shaped box.
The documentary “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion” premiered in 2024. One of his dresses worn by Cher in 1975 was sold at auction that year for $101,600, about 25 times its original estimate.
Mackie was married to showgirl Lulu Porter from 1960 to 1963. Their son, makeup artist Robert Gordon Mackie Jr., died of AIDS at age 35. Mackie’s longtime partner, costume designer Ray Aghayan, died in 2011.
Mackie once summed up his approach to design by saying practicality was never his priority: “It’s all about looking good and living your fantasies.”
In 2017, at age 71, Cher again attracted attention at the Billboard Music Awards wearing two outfits designed by Mackie.
Mackie, however, remained critical of what he considered an increasingly predictable fashion industry.
“Nothing is very interesting anymore,” he told Vogue in 2017. “You just keep seeing the same thing over and over again and there are no surprises. Unfortunately, you don’t see much fashion anymore.”