Bob Mackie, renowned fashion designer, dies at 87

NEW YORK — September 14, 2026 - 9:46 am Bob Mackie, the celebrated fashion and costume designer whose extravagant creations shaped Hollywood glamour through the 1970s and beyond, died Monday at age 87. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his imagination of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is each helium ever wanted to do,” a work connection connected his societal media accounts. “His genius and bonzer designs volition unrecorded connected forever, continuing to bring quality into this world.” He was widely known as the “Designer to the Stars,” accumulating nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and three Oscar nominations, including one for Barbra Streisand’s “Funny Lady,” in which she wore a sheer batwing gown. Mackie entered the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2002. His clientele included Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and he created performance costumes for Pink. When Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday” at a 1962 fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee, she did so in a sheer, beaded gown that originated from a Mackie sketch. Contemporary artists such as Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift cite Mackie’s aesthetic as an influence; his work is echoed in the styles of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. Archival pieces appear on figures like Anya Taylor‑Joy, Miley Cyrus, and Zendaya, the latter wearing a Mackie original to honor Cher at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. For her 2025 project “The Life of a Showgirl,” Taylor Swift turned to Mackie archive pieces to achieve a showgirl look. Sequins and embellishment were central to Mackie’s craft, earning him nicknames like the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones, and the Guru of Glitter. He summed up his philosophy with the exact statement: “You don’t effort to alteration anybody, you conscionable effort to marque them look amended than ever,” helium told The Associated Press successful 2018. On Broadway, Mackie costumed the casts of “On the Town” in 1971 and “Moon Over Buffalo” in 1995. He also designed outfits for Carol Burnett’s revue “Putting It Together,” Debbie Reynolds’s “Debbie” (1976), Liza Minnelli’s “Minnelli on Minnelli” (1999), and most recently the ensemble of “The Cher Show,” for which he received his Tony Award.