Bob Mackie, the iconic fashion designer known for dressing Hollywood stars like Mitzi Gaynor, Carol Burnett, and Cher, died at 87 on Monday in Palm Springs, California, due to pneumonia. His career spanned decades, winning nine Emmy Awards and one Tony Award, and he was renowned for his extravagant designs seen on numerous television shows and red carpet events, including Cher's famous beaded "naked dress" at the Met Gala in 1974.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
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the legendary fashion designer whose exuberant style defined Hollywood glamour for decades
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He died in Palm Springs, California, from pneumonia, his publicist Jenelle Hamilton confirmed to CBS News.
"It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today," a post on his social media account said.
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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.
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His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.
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Inspired by Hollywood glamour
Born in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park, Mackie embraced the idea of Hollywood movie glamour as a young child, inspired by Technicolor musicals.
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He would dream up elaborate costumes for his mother and sister and sketch them, and he was active in costume and set design of his high school plays.
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He went to Pasadena City College to study advertising and illustration and then costume design at LA's Chouinard Art Institute.
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He was tapped to create a new look for actress, singer and dancer Mitzi Gaynor in 1966, according to a biography on his website.
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"This was a marriage made in heaven with dance, glamour and comedy all in one package," the biography read.
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The look caught the attention of Carol Burnett, who hired him to design the wardrobe for "The Carol Burnett Show," putting the legendary comedian in some of her kookiest getups.
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He and Burnett had a close friendship and collaborated on memorable characters such as Nora Desmond, Eunice and her take on Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind" — called Starlet O'Hara — wearing her green curtain dress on its rods.
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Mackie's TV work continued on "The Sonny and Cher Show," after Cher guest-starred on Burnett's show and took a liking to him.
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He had said that her Laverne character, with her leopard-print jumpsuit and dangling earrings, was one of his favorites.
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He and Cher took a much sexier turn when she moved to movies and was invited to the Academy Awards.
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All those beaded, belly-baring numbers she'd wear on the stuffy red carpets came from Mackie.
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Mackie attended the 1974 Met Gala with Cher on his arm, dressed in what is perhaps one of the most famous so-called naked dresses of all time: a sheer beaded gown with white feathered sleeves and a white feathered skirt.
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She and the dress ended up on the cover of Time magazine.
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He
in October 2025 that he sketched his designs, but watching the stars perform was part of his process.
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"My philosophy is watch what they do, how they work on stage, how they walk, how they sit," he said.
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You can't just put a dress on anybody."
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He added: "You just don't know until you meet them and watch them perform that they're that woman, that kind of a girl.
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I mean Cher was never intimidated by one thing I ever put on her — ever."
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"Designer to the Stars"
Dubbed the "Designer to the Stars," Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars, including one for Barbra Streisand's "Funny Lady," in which she wore a sheer batwing gown.
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He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2002.
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He designed gowns for Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and concert costumes for Pink.
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When Marilyn Monroe delivered a breathy, seductive take on "Happy Birthday" at a fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee, she did it in a sheer, beaded gown that Mackie dreamed up in a sketch.
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His influence can be seen in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid.
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His archival pieces are worn today by the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya, the latter of whom wore a Mackie gown to honor Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
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When Taylor Swift wanted to look like a showgirl on the cover of her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl," she turned to some Mackie originals.
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"It was kind of a surprise because I didn't know she had those clothes," Mackie told "CBS Mornings" of Swift using one of his designs.
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"She borrowed them from the place in Vegas, the big casino."
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Sequins and embellishment were natural tools for Mackie — other nicknames were the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones and the Guru of Glitter — but he had a simple motto: "You don't try to change anybody, you just try to make them look better than ever," he told The Associated Press in 2018.
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On Broadway, Mackie dressed the casts of "On the Town" in 1971 and "Moon Over Buffalo" in 1995.
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He also created costumes for Burnett in the revue "Putting It Together," Debbie Reynolds in "Debbie" in 1976, Liza Minnelli in "Minnelli on Minnelli" in 1999 and, most recently, the cast of "The Cher Show," winning his Tony Award.
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Mackie had some retail success in the 1980s and '90s, launching a ready-to-wear line in 1982 that would ultimately land on the runway at New York Fashion Week, and he was an early partner of QVC.
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Mackie was married to showgirl Lulu Porter from 1960 until 1963; their son, makeup artist Robert Gordon Mackie Jr., died from AIDS at age 35.
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Costume designer Ray Aghayan, his longtime partner, died in 2011.
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He is survived by his granddaughter Alyssa Townsend, his granddaughters Kyla and Keira Townsend, and Porter.
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