Bob Mackie, the celebrated fashion and costume designer whose glittering creations helped define stars including Cher, Diana Ross and Dolly Parton, has died aged 87.
The news was announced on the designer’s social media accounts. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today,” a statement said. “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.”
It added: “His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”
Known by nicknames including the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones and the Guru of Glitter, Mackie built a career around dramatic designs featuring jewels, crystals, feathers and fringe.
His most enduring creative partnership was with Cher, whom he dressed for television appearances and tours. Mackie first drew widespread attention for the sheer, feather-trimmed dress Cher wore to the 1974 Met Gala.
“People were horrified,” he later recalled. “They thought, that’s not fashion, she’s just naked at the Metropolitan.” The look was subsequently featured in Vogue and Time, while illusion gowns decorated with glitter and feathers became closely associated with his work.
Cher said in 2024 that Mackie had played an important role in her life. “He helped me create a different me,” she said.
Mackie’s designs frequently blurred the line between clothing and character. He said his work was intended to help performers become larger-than-life figures, particularly when they were appearing in major theatres or stadiums.
His early career included sketching the original design for the sparkling, figure-hugging gown Marilyn Monroe wore at President John F Kennedy’s 1962 birthday celebration in New York, while Mackie was working under designer Jean Louis.
He also became closely associated with television comedy through his work on The Carol Burnett Show. Burnett estimated that he created 17,000 costumes during the programme’s 11-year run, describing him as someone who could do both fashion and costume design.
One of his best-known creations for the show was the “curtain rod dress”, worn by Burnett in a parody of Gone with the Wind. Mackie also designed an extravagant Donald Duck costume for Elton John’s 1980 concert in Central Park.
“I was dancing across the stage, falling over myself, and I just couldn’t sing for laughing,” John recalled. “Because it looked ridiculous, but it looked fabulous.”
Mackie’s influence continued into recent years, with Sabrina Carpenter, Zendaya and Miley Cyrus among those to wear his designs. Cyrus performed in an archival Mackie dress covered in strings of crystals at the 2024 Grammys.
Bob Mackie’s legacy in fashion and entertainment
Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, received three Academy Award nominations and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He later won a Tony Award for The Cher Show and received a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
He also created a line of outfits for Barbie, giving the doll a more fantasy-led appearance and moving beyond the uniform blonde image associated with earlier versions.
Fern Mallis, the former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and founder of New York Fashion Week, credited Mackie with helping shape the theatrical red-carpet style seen today.
“He invented the naked dresses with the strategically placed beads,” she said in 2019. “Now everyone who walks the red carpet, or designs for the red carpet, owes him a debt of gratitude, whether they know it or not.”
