Bob Mackie, legendary costume designer for Cher and Burnett, dies at 87
Bob Mackie, the Emmy-winning costume designer whose work defined the look of Cher and Carol Burnett, died Monday at age 87. Mackie won nine Emmy Awards and a Tony Award across a career that spanned television, film and Broadway costume design.
Mackie’s death was announced in a post on his Instagram account.
“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,” the post said.
“His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”
Dubbed the “Designer to the Stars,” Mackie was the first to win an Emmy for costume design, in 1967. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Science’s Hall of Fame in 2002. Mackie was nominated for three Academy Awards, including one for Barbra Streisand’s “Funny Lady,” in which she wore a sheer batwing gown.
Mackie designed gowns for Madonna, Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and concert costumes for Pink. He created the sheer, beaded gown Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” at a fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee.
Mackie was the costumer on “The Carol Burnett Show,” which ran from 1967 to 1978.
“You don’t try to change anybody, you just try to make them look better than ever,” Mackie told The Associated Press in 2018.
Mackie also created outfits for Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner and others. His influence can be seen in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, and his archival pieces are worn today by Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya. Zendaya wore a Mackie gown to honor Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Taylor Swift wore Mackie originals on the cover of her 2025 album “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Sequins and embellishment were natural tools for Mackie, whose other nicknames included the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones and the Guru of Glitter.
On Broadway, Mackie dressed the casts of “On the Town” in 1971 and “Moon Over Buffalo” in 1995. He created costumes for Burnett in the revue “Putting It Together,” for Debbie Reynolds in “Debbie” in 1976, for Liza Minnelli in “Minnelli on Minnelli” in 1999 and for the cast of “The Cher Show,” winning his Tony Award.
