Bob Mackie, who dressed stars from Cher to Whoopi Goldberg and Pink, dies at 87

Bob Mackie, the fashion designer whose visually provocative Hollywood style defined glamour for the 1970s – including putting Carol Burnett in some of her kookiest get-ups and Cher in her raciest ones – died on Monday. He was 87.“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,” read a statement on his social media accounts. Mackie died in Palm Springs, California, from pneumonia, his publicist said.Dubbed the “Designer to the Stars”, Mackie won nine Emmys, a Tony and was nominated for three Oscars, including one for Barbra Streisand’s 1975 film Funny Lady, in which she wore a sheer batwing gown. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2002.Mackie designed gowns for Madonna, Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross, Whoopi Goldberg and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and concert costumes for Pink. 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.His influence can be seen in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. His archival pieces are worn today by the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya, the latter who wore a Mackie gown to honour Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.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.Bob Mackie costumes worn by Pink (left) in 2009, Cher (centre) in 2019 and Tina Turner in 2009. Photo: APTributes came from fellow designers and those lucky enough to wear Mackie’s outfits. Actress Kristin Chenoweth called him a “legend” and designer Isaac Mizrahi wrote, simply, “heartbroken”. Actress Alyssa Milano called him “one of the best that ever was”.On Broadway, Mackie dressed the casts of On the Town in 1971 and Moon Over Buffalo in 1995. 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.