Bob Mackie, the 'Designer to the Stars' behind Cher and Burnett's most memorable looks, dies at 87

Bob Mackie, the costume designer whose flamboyant, sequin-laden creations shaped Hollywood glamour through the 1970s and beyond, died on Monday. He was 87.

Known as the "Designer to the Stars," Mackie built a career on making performers look larger than life. He won nine Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, and received three Oscar nominations, including one for Barbra Streisand's sheer batwing gown in "Funny Lady." In 2002, he was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame.

His client list spanned generations of entertainment figures. He designed gowns for Madonna, Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and concert costumes for Pink. One of his earliest and most famous sketches became the sheer, beaded gown Marilyn Monroe wore while singing "Happy Birthday" at a fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee.

Mackie's influence has outlasted the eras he dressed. His styles echo in the looks of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, while his archival pieces have been worn in recent years by Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya, who chose a Mackie gown to honour Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Taylor Swift turned to Mackie originals for the showgirl aesthetic of her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl."

Sequins and embellishment were his natural tools, earning him nicknames such as the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones and the Guru of Glitter. His approach, as he once described it, was simple: "You don't try to change anybody, you just try to make them look better than ever."

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 and for Liza Minnelli in "Minnelli on Minnelli" in 1999. His most recent Broadway work, the costumes for "The Cher Show," brought him his Tony Award.

A Southern California native, Mackie fell for Hollywood movie glamour as a young child, inspired by Technicolor musicals. He sketched elaborate costumes for his mother and sister and worked on costume and set design for his high school plays. He studied advertising and illustration at Pasadena City College before moving to costume design at Los Angeles' Chouinard Art Institute.

He grew up admiring the variety-show and pop stars of the 1950s and '60s, particularly their glittering wardrobes. After working for costume designer Edith Head, he landed the job on "The Carol Burnett Show." He and Burnett formed a close friendship and collaborated on characters such as Nora Desmond, Eunice and her "Gone With the Wind" parody, Starlet O'Hara, who wore a green curtain dress complete with its rods.

Mackie's television work continued on "The Sonny and Cher Show," after Cher had guest-starred on Burnett's programme and took a liking to him. He often cited her Laverne character, in a leopard-print jumpsuit and dangling earrings, as one of his favourites.

Their collaboration took a sexier turn when Cher moved into films and began attending the Academy Awards. The beaded, belly-baring designs she wore on the red carpet came from Mackie. In 1974, he attended the Met Gala with Cher in one of the most famous "naked dresses" of all time: a sheer beaded gown with white feathered sleeves and a white feathered skirt. She and the dress appeared on the cover of Time magazine.