Bob Mackie, designer to Hollywood stars, dies at 87

Bob Mackie, the costume and fashion designer whose sequins, feathers and fearless silhouettes helped define Hollywood glamour for more than half a century, died Monday in Palm Springs, California. He was 87.

His longtime publicist, Jenelle Hamilton, confirmed that Mackie died of pneumonia. A post on his social media account said he had “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.”

“His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world,” the post said.

Known as the “sultan of sequins” and the “Designer to the Stars,” Mackie dressed Cher, Carol Burnett, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Elton John and many others. His costumes became part of television, concert and red-carpet history: Cher’s feathered and beaded Academy Awards looks, Burnett’s curtain-rod parody of Scarlett O’Hara, and the shimmering flame dress worn by Cher and Turner.

“Every time I put something on that Bob made, I felt very, very special,” Elton John wrote on social media. “His costumes were works of art, and he will go down as one of the most legendary designers ever in Hollywood.” He added: “He loved glamour like I love glamour, but more than anything, we shared the same sense of humour and had so much fun together.”

Mackie was born in Monterey Park, a Los Angeles suburb, and grew up inspired by Technicolor musicals. He studied at Pasadena City College and later at Chouinard Art Institute, which became part of the California Institute of the Arts. He left school to work as a costume sketch artist in 1961, including sketching the sheer, beaded dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 1962 when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.

In 1963, Ray Aghayan hired him to work on “The Judy Garland Show.” Aghayan became Mackie’s longtime romantic and creative partner, and the two won the first Emmy Award for costume design in 1967. Aghayan died in 2011.

Mackie’s work for Mitzi Gaynor in 1966 caught Burnett’s attention, leading to an 11-season run designing the complete wardrobe for “The Carol Burnett Show.” He helped create looks for characters including Nora Desmond, Eunice and Burnett’s “Gone With the Wind” parody, Starlet O’Hara.

“Throughout his extraordinary body of work, Bob Mackie understood the unique power of costume in comedy — to help create a character and become part of the creative energy that drove the comedy itself,” National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson said.

His partnership with Cher became one of his most enduring. After Cher appeared on Burnett’s show, she and Mackie collaborated on television, concerts and red carpets. In 1974, he attended the Met Gala with Cher, who wore a sheer beaded gown with white feathered sleeves and skirt that later appeared on the cover of Time. In 1986, after Cher was not nominated for “Mask,” Mackie dressed her for the Oscars in a towering black feather headdress and beaded midriff-baring ensemble.

“A woman who wears my clothes is not afraid to be noticed,” Mackie once said.

Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award for “The Cher Show,” and received three Oscar nominations, including for Streisand’s “Funny Lady.” He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2002. He also launched a ready-to-wear line in 1982, created collectible Barbie dolls and designed for Broadway productions including “On the Town,” “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Putting It Together.”

Mackie was briefly married to actress and showgirl Lulu Porter, also known as Marianne Nicholson, from 1960 to 1963. Their son, makeup artist Robert Gordon Mackie Jr., died of AIDS-related complications in 1993. CBS News reported that Mackie is survived by Porter and granddaughters Alyssa, Kyla and Keira Townsend.