Bob Mackie, Designer Behind Cher and Carol Burnett, Dies at 87

Caption: Bob Mackie with Thirsty Burlington in Provincetown in 2022. Credit: BCMarty / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bob Mackie, the costume designer whose work helped define the public images of Cher and Carol Burnett, has died at 87. The designer known for theatrical sparkle and television glamour died of pneumonia in Palm Springs, according to the Associated Press.

His Clothes Became Part of the Performance

Mackie did not simply dress celebrities for appearances. His costumes became part of the characters, comedy and spectacle audiences remembered. On “The Carol Burnett Show,” clothes could deliver a joke before a performer said a word. With Cher, his designs turned televised entrances into pop-culture events.

That combination made his work recognizable even to viewers who did not know his name. The silhouette, feathers, crystals and sense of showmanship often announced him first.

Cher Was Only One of the Famous Names

Mackie’s career touched several generations of entertainment. AP noted work connected to Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Madonna, along with later influence on stars including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya.

He won nine Emmys and a Tony and received three Academy Award nominations. His Tony came for “The Cher Show,” bringing one of his longest creative relationships onto Broadway.

He Built a Style Around Fantasy

Mackie was known for treating clothing as entertainment. His most famous pieces were not intended to disappear into the background; they were designed to make an entrance feel larger.

That philosophy fit an era when television variety shows and live specials could put one costume in front of tens of millions of viewers at once. It also kept his archive relevant as younger performers revived the maximalism of earlier decades.

The Legacy Is Still Walking Onto Stages

Mackie’s death closes a career tied directly to some of the most recognizable images in American entertainment. But the look he helped popularize - theatrical, glittering and unapologetically visible - keeps returning in contemporary concerts and red carpets.

For fans of Cher and Burnett, his name carries a particularly personal kind of recognition: he designed part of what they remember seeing.

References: Bob Mackie, designer to the stars who dressed Cher and Marilyn and defined ’70s glamour, dies at 87