Legendary costume designer Bob Mackie dies aged 87

Legendary costume designer Bob Mackie dies aged 87

Bob Mackie, the designer behind spectacular costumes for stars such as Cher, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Elton John, has died at the age of 87.

The US fashion designer, celebrated as the "Sultan of Sequins" for his glittering creations, earned a Tony Award, nine Emmys and three Oscar nominations over the course of his career.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr Bob Mackie passed away today," a statement posted on his Instagram account said on Monday.

"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," it added. "His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world."

Mackie was especially important to Cher's career and created her famous Mohawk outfit, which she wore to the Oscars in 1986.

It became known as her "revenge" outfit, because she wasn't nominated for anything.

The showgirl-style costume included a plumed mohawk headdress and exposed Cher's bare midriff - a very new, and very shocking look at the time.

The outfit has since gone down in fashion history as one of the most outrageous and extravagant ever seen at the awards.

"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 told the BBC in 2010 that when Cher began her career she "looked like no-one else in the entertainment business at the time".

"Everybody just went crazy over this woman as she could wear anything," he added.

Cher was widely reported to be the first woman to show her belly button on US television - and Mackie's designs were central to that.

Mackie was also the creative force behind several of Sir Elton John's costumes, including his now-iconic Dodgers baseball outfit - bedazzled of course - that he wore while performing at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1975.

"Every time I put something on that Bob made, I felt very, very special," Sir John wrote on Instagram. "His costumes were works of art, and he will go down as one of the most legendary designers ever in Hollywood."

Singer Pink wore many of his designs over the years. Posting several of the outfits she wore on stage during her Funhouse tour in 2009, she wrote "I was so lucky to be dressed by him for so long. He was loving, wickedly funny and an absolute genius."

"There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels."

Mackie was still designing until recently - Sabrina Carpenter wore one of his designs at the MTV Video Music Awards last year.

He also created the dress Miley Cyrus wore during her performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards. She won a Grammy that year for her break-up anthem, Flowers - perhaps it was her own version of a "revenge" dress.

Robert Gordon Mackie was born in Monterey Park, California, in 1939.

His career in design began as a sketch artist for Jean Louis, a French-American costume designer. One of Mackie's early jobs involved sketching the dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang her breathy version of "Happy Birthday Mr President" to John F Kennedy in 1962.

He married Hollywood singer and actress Lulu Porter in 1960, but they divorced three years later. They had a son, Robin, who died in his early thirties from an Aids related illness.

Mackie was in a relationship with Iranian fashion designer Ray Aghayan from 1963 until Aghayan's death in 2011.

"I think I'm the oldest living designer in Hollywood," Mackie told The Guardian in 2018. When asked if he'd ever retire, his answer was simple - "I hope not."

"There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels," Pink wrote in a tribute to Bob Mackie. The singer wore many of his designs over the years, especially during her Funhouse Tour in 2009.

Sabrina Carpenter wore one of Mackie's designs at the MTV Video Music Awards last year, where she won Best Album Award for Short n' Sweet.