Bob Mackie, The Sultan Of Sequins Who Dressed Cher For 50 Years, Has Died At 87 Of Pneumonia

Bob Mackie died Monday morning September 14 of pneumonia at a Palm Springs hospital. He was 87. His longtime publicist Jenelle Hamilton confirmed the cause.

His Instagram posted the announcement: "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. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world."

Born in Monterey Park, California in 1939, Mackie became the defining costume designer of Hollywood's television era, accumulating more than 30 Emmy nominations and nine wins, three Oscar nominations and a Tony Award in 2019 for The Cher Show. In 2002 he became the first costume designer inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

His relationship with Cher defined his career and hers simultaneously. Beginning with The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in the early 1970s, Mackie pushed the boundaries of what a television costume could be, sequins, feathers, illusion lace and body-baring cutouts that made Cher simultaneously scandalous and iconic.

"He helped me create a different me," Cher said in 2024. He also dressed Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Carol Burnett, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton and Elton John. In 1962, as an assistant to Jean Louis, he sketched the beaded sheer gown Marilyn Monroe wore to sing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy.

"Every time I put something on that Bob made, I felt very, very special," Elton John wrote Monday. "His costumes were works of art."