Bob Mackie, the Legendary Costume Designer for Cher, Carol Burnett, and More, Dies at 87

Bob Mackie, the legendary costume and fashion designer whose dazzling creations helped define the images of Cher, Carol Burnett, and countless other entertainment icons, has died at 87. H

Over a career spanning more than six decades, Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, three Academy Award nominations, a place in the Television Academy Hall of Fame, and numerous honors for his contributions to fashion and theatrical costume design.

A native of Southern California, Mackie began his professional career in 1961 as a sketch artist for the likes of Edith Head and Jean Louis. In 1966, Mitzi Gaynor hired Mackie to design the costumes for her Las Vegas revue and television specials. The collaboration proved an ideal match for Mackie’s talents, combining dance, comedy, glamour, and spectacle.

After seeing Gaynor’s Las Vegas show, Carol Burnett and her husband, television producer Joe Hamilton, hired Mackie to design the wardrobe for The Carol Burnett Show. He remained with the series throughout its entire 11-year run, creating an estimate of 17,000 outfits, several of which are some of the most notable in television history. Chief among them is Burnett’s iconic curtain dress from the sketch “Went with the Wind,” in which she wears a brass curtain rod balanced on the shoulders and a hat fashioned from a valence. It is currently on display in the National Museum of American History.

Mackie’s association with Cher would become equally iconic. He designed costumes for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Cher’s concert tours, and numerous television appearances, helping establish the singer’s reputation for spectacular, boundary-pushing fashion. He won Emmy Awards for Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas in 1999 and Cher: The Farewell Tour in 2003. In 2019, he received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his costumes for the Broadway musical The Cher Show.

His theatrical work included Lorelei with Carol Channing, On the Town with Bernadette Peters, Platinum with Alexis Smith, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public with Dee Hoty, Moon Over Buffalo and Putting It Together, both with Carol Burnett, and Minnelli on Minnelli with Liza Minnelli. He also designed the costumes and scenery for the world premiere of the Elvis Presley ballet Blue Suede Shoes and the costumes for the San Francisco Opera’s production of Alban Berg’s Lulu.

Mackie’s influence extended well beyond the stage and screen. In 1982, the Bob Mackie ready-to-wear collection debuted, as did his first collectible Bob Mackie Barbie dolls. The dolls became highly sought-after collector’s items, extending his distinctive aesthetic to a new generation. During the 1990s, he launched the popular QVC Wearable Art Collection as well as home-furnishing collections.

His work was celebrated in 1999 with Unmistakably Mackie, a major retrospective at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. The exhibition featured more than 125 examples of his costumes and designs, along with sketches, photographs, and videos documenting his extraordinary career. The accompanying book, Unmistakably Mackie, was written by Frank DeCaro.

Mackie was Oscar-nominated for Pennies from Heaven, Funny Lady, and Lady Sings the Blues. Most recently, he appeared as himself in an episode of Hacks

Mackie’s contributions to costume and fashion design continued to earn recognition throughout his later career. He received the TDF Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and the Hollywood Arts Council’s Charlie Award for Fashion Arts in 2008. In 2011, Otis College of Art and Design, where he had mentored students for more than two decades, honored him with its Design Legend Award and an honorary doctorate. He received the Chicago History Museum’s Designer of Excellence Award in 2016 and the Geoffrey Beene CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.