Legendary US costume designer Bob Mackie, whose dazzling creations transformed the stage and red carpet wardrobes of some of the world’s biggest entertainers, has died aged 87.
Mackie, known as the “Sultan of Sequins”, won a Tony Award and nine Emmy Awards and received three Oscar nominations during a career that made him one of Hollywood’s most celebrated costume designers.
His death was announced on his Instagram account on Monday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr Bob Mackie passed away today,” the statement said.
It described Mackie as a designer who had fulfilled his lifelong dream and said his designs would continue to bring beauty to the world.
Mackie and Cher’s iconic fashion partnership
Mackie was particularly influential in the career of Cher, creating some of the singer’s most memorable stage and red-carpet looks.
Among his most famous creations was the striking Mohawk outfit Cher wore at the 1986 Oscars.
The showgirl-inspired ensemble featured a towering feathered headdress and a bare midriff, making it one of the night’s most talked-about looks.
Cher later described the outfit as her “revenge” look because she had not received an Oscar nomination for Mask, a film for which she had been widely expected to contend.
“I didn’t get nominated for a movie that everyone thought I would actually win for [Mask] – so was dressing that night for a kind of revenge,” Cher said in the 2024 documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.
Mackie once recalled that Cher stood out from other entertainers when she was starting her career.
“Everybody just went crazy over this woman as she could wear anything,” he told the BBC in 2010.
His designs also played a major role in Cher’s television image, including outfits associated with her emergence as one of the era’s most visually distinctive performers.
Elton John’s dazzling stage costumes
Mackie also created some of Elton John’s most recognisable costumes.
Among them was the bedazzled Los Angeles Dodgers baseball outfit worn by John during his performances at Dodger Stadium in 1975.
John paid tribute to Mackie following his death, describing his costumes as works of art.
“Every time I put something on that Bob made, I felt very, very special,” John wrote on Instagram.
He added that Mackie would be remembered as one of Hollywood’s most legendary designers.
Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Pink among his clients
Mackie’s designs were worn by a long list of entertainment icons, including Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Pink.
Pink said she was fortunate to have been dressed by Mackie for many years.
“I was so lucky to be dressed by him for so long,” she wrote while sharing several costumes from her 2009 Funhouse tour.
She described him as loving, “wickedly funny” and “an absolute genius”.
“There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels,” she added.
Mackie continued designing into his later years
Despite his long career, Mackie continued working with major performers in recent years.
Sabrina Carpenter wore one of his designs at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2025.
He also designed the dress Miley Cyrus wore during her performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards, the year Cyrus won her first Grammy for Flowers.
Mackie’s work continued to influence generations of entertainers seeking bold, theatrical and highly distinctive stage fashion.
From sketch artist to Hollywood icon
Born Robert Gordon Mackie in Monterey Park, California, in 1939, Mackie began his career as a sketch artist for French-American costume designer Jean Louis.
One of his early assignments involved sketching the dress worn by Marilyn Monroe when she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to US President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
Mackie’s career subsequently took him from Hollywood costume departments to television, film, theatre and the wardrobes of some of the world’s biggest music stars.
He won a Tony Award and nine Emmys and received three Academy Award nominations for costume design.
A life dedicated to fashion
Mackie married Hollywood singer and actress Lulu Porter in 1960, but the couple divorced three years later. They had a son, Robin, who died in his early 30s from an AIDS-related illness.
Mackie was later in a relationship with Iranian fashion designer Ray Aghayan, from 1963 until Aghayan’s death in 2011.
In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Mackie joked that he might have been the oldest living designer in Hollywood.
Asked whether he would ever retire, his answer reflected his enduring passion for his craft:
“I hope not.”
Mackie’s career ultimately spanned more than six decades, leaving behind a legacy of sequins, feathers, rhinestones and theatrical glamour that helped define the visual identities of some of the biggest stars in entertainment.
