Bob Mackie, the acclaimed fashion and costume designer whose work defined the aesthetic of Hollywood’s greatest icons, has passed away at the age of 87. His design team confirmed the news via an Instagram statement on Monday, September 14, noting that he spent his 87 years realizing his lifelong ambition of a career in fashion, which he described as his only true desire. The statement honored his legacy, declaring that his extraordinary creative spirit and influence would endure indefinitely, continuing to bring beauty to the world.
Born on March 24, 1939, in Monterey Park, California, Mackie fostered a passion for design from a young age. He frequently recalled his early realization of his path, noting in a 2021 interview with People that his professional fate was solidified when his aunt gifted him a jewelry-making kit during his youth. After briefly attending the Chouinard Art Institute, he transitioned into the industry in 1961, starting as a sketch artist for the legendary Edith Head at Paramount Studios.
Mackie’s professional breakthrough arrived when he was tapped by Mitzi Gaynor to design costumes for her Las Vegas performances, a collaboration that extended to her television specials and earned the designer two Emmy Awards. However, his most enduring professional relationship began in 1967 with comedy star Carol Burnett. Over eleven seasons of The Carol Burnett Show, Mackie created countless iconic looks, most notably the green-velvet curtain dress from a parody sketch titled Went With the Wind. The costume, which featured a literal curtain rod, remains preserved today at the Smithsonian Institution.
Reflecting on their partnership, Burnett expressed deep sorrow over his passing, describing him as a singular talent who mastered both high fashion and theatrical costume design. During their decades of work together, including the 2005 production of Once Upon A Mattress, Burnett noted that no other designer possessed his unique brilliance. Mackie echoed this mutual admiration, once calling their work together a defining creative achievement.
Beyond his television collaborations, Mackie is perhaps most famous for his long-standing creative bond with Cher. The two met during her first television season, forming a partnership that spanned decades. Among his most famous contributions were the bold, daring outfits she wore to the Academy Awards in the 1980s. When Cher presented an award in 1986 wearing a jewel-encrusted caged top and mohawk, she famously described it as her way of making a statement to the Academy, while Mackie recalled joking with her that the outfit might distract from the actual award winners.
His impact on celebrity style extended to many other stars, including Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, and Liza Minnelli. Throughout a prolific career that saw him nominated for 32 Emmy Awards and 3 Academy Awards, Mackie’s influence remained vast. He earned nine Emmy Awards for his work with Burnett, Gaynor, and Ross, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002. Additionally, he was honored with a Tony Award in 2019 for his contributions to The Cher Show, cementing his place as a titan of both stage and screen design. The report also notes that it is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. The report also notes that fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do,” the designer’s team wrote in an Instagram statement on Monday, Sept, he lived his 87 years to the fullest. The report also notes that “I always knew what I wanted to do,” the designer said in a 2021 interview with People. “But I knew I was in trouble when my parents gave me a catcher’s mitt for Christmas. The report also notes that and that was that.”, i made a few pairs of earrings. The report also notes that he then transferred to the Chouinard Art Institute but left after one year, after enrolling in Pasadena City College. The report also notes that in 2016, the duo reflected on their decades-long collaboration in an interview with. The report also notes that it called for “Starlett” to “come down the stairs with the curtains just hanging” on her, burnett explained that while the sketch was brilliantly written. The report also notes that mackie, thinking the visual element could be funnier, “came up with the idea of making the dress with the curtain rod.