Bob Mackie, the costume designer whose sequined, feathered creations defined the look of American television and red-carpet glamour for six decades, has died at age 87. Mackie fashioned elaborate garments for stars including Cher, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus, according to an official Instagram tribute.
Mackie was born in Monterey Park and began his career in the early 1960s, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Additional information about his cause of death or where he died was not disclosed. The Instagram statement said Mackie “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,” adding that “his genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”
Long before he became a household name in costuming, Mackie was a young studio sketch artist working under designer Jean Louis at 20th Century-Fox. In 1962, in his early twenties, he sketched the sheer, crystal-covered gown Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy, according to Ynet News.
From Rosemead Classrooms to Edith Head's Studio
Raised in Southern California, Mackie attended Rosemead High School, Pasadena City College and the Chouinard Art Institute before learning studio craft under legendary costume designer Edith Head and his longtime creative and romantic partner, Ray Aghayan, per TheWrap. Aghayan remained his partner until his death in 2011, the outlet notes. That grounding in Los Angeles institutions carried Mackie from studio sketch tables into television's biggest variety stages.
Mackie served as costume designer for The Carol Burnett Show, a role that led to a longtime creative partnership with Cher, per the Los Angeles Times. That collaboration produced some of Cher's most enduring looks, including the ensembles she wore in the music video for If I Could Turn Back Time and for numerous red carpet appearances over the years.
The Gown That Made Television History
One of Mackie's most famous sight gags came in 1976, when he designed the green velvet curtain-rod dress Carol Burnett wore in her Gone with the Wind parody, titled “Went with the Wind!” Burnett's delivery of the line “I saw it in the window and I just couldn't resist it” became one of television comedy's most famous moments, and the gown was later inducted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, according to Extra TV. For the Academy Awards, the same outlet reports, Mackie created one of Cher's most iconic red-carpet looks — a midriff-baring black outfit paired with a black feathered mohawk headdress that remains among the most referenced award-show ensembles in Oscar history.
Mackie also created looks worn by Joan Rivers, Barbra Streisand and Elton John, and he designed gowns for Diana Ross and the Supremes, according to the Los Angeles Times. His television work brought him nine Primetime Emmy Awards out of more than 30 total nominations for costume design across variety, comedy and music programming, according to Ynet News, with wins that included specials for Mitzi Gaynor and Carol Burnett. In 2002, he became the first costume designer in history inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame, per the Television Academy.
Oscar Nominations and a Late-Career Tony
Mackie's talents crossed over into feature films as well, earning three Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design for his work on Lady Sings the Blues in 1972, Funny Lady in 1975, and Pennies From Heaven in 1981, according to TCM. His first nomination, for Lady Sings the Blues, came alongside longtime collaborator Ray Aghayan.
At age 80 in 2019, Mackie won his first Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, creating more than 500 stage garments for Broadway's The Cher Show, according to the Council of Fashion Designers of America. That same year, the CFDA presented Mackie with its Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, formally recognizing his influence across both Hollywood costuming and commercial fashion, per the CFDA.
A Legacy Beyond the Stage
He also collaborated with Mattel on collectible Barbie dolls, according to Remind Magazine.
His costumes continue to surface in cultural institutions and tributes around the world.
