Language Settings
Select Website Language

Bob Mackie, the 'Sultan of Sequins,' Dies at 87

57 minutes ago

Bob Mackie, the Tony- and nine-time Emmy-winning designer behind Cher's mohawk and Elton John's Dodgers outfit, has died at 87.

Bob Mackie, the American designer whose glittering stage and screen costumes defined the looks of Cher, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Elton John, has died at the age of 87. A message posted to his Instagram account on Monday confirmed the news.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr Bob Mackie passed away today," the statement read. It said he had "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," adding that his "genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world."

Nicknamed the "Sultan of Sequins" for his shimmering creations, Mackie collected a Tony Award and nine Emmys over the course of his career, along with three Oscar nominations. He kept working almost to the end, dressing a new generation of performers decades after his first designs reached the stage.

Cher's 1986 'revenge' look

His partnership with Cher proved one of the most defining of his career. He created the daring showgirl-style ensemble she wore to the Oscars in 1986, complete with a plumed mohawk headdress and an exposed midriff. The outfit stunned audiences and has since been remembered as one of the boldest ever seen at the ceremony.

Cher came to call it her "revenge" outfit because she had been passed over for a nomination. "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," she said in the 2024 documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.

Speaking to the BBC in 2010, Mackie recalled how singular Cher had appeared early in her career, saying she "looked like no-one else in the entertainment business at the time." He added: "Everybody just went crazy over this woman as she could wear anything." Cher is widely credited as the first woman to bare her navel on American television, a moment made possible by Mackie's daring designs.

Elton John's Dodgers costume

Mackie was also behind some of Sir Elton John's most memorable stage wear, including the sparkling Dodgers baseball uniform the singer wore during his 1975 concerts at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Paying tribute online, Sir Elton wrote that he "felt very, very special" every time he stepped out in one of Mackie's pieces.

"His costumes were works of art, and he will go down as one of the most legendary designers ever in Hollywood," the musician added.

The singer Pink, another longtime collaborator, said she had been fortunate to wear his work for years, sharing photographs of the outfits he made for her 2009 Funhouse tour. "I was so lucky to be dressed by him for so long. He was loving, wickedly funny and an absolute genius," she wrote, adding: "There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels."

Still designing for today's stars

Mackie's reach extended well into the present. Sabrina Carpenter wore one of his creations at last year's MTV Video Music Awards, and he designed the dress Miley Cyrus performed in at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Cyrus took home a Grammy that night for her break-up hit Flowers - a fitting echo, perhaps, of the "revenge" spirit that ran through so much of Mackie's most famous work.

Born Robert Gordon Mackie in Monterey Park, California, in 1939, he broke into the industry as a sketch artist working under the French-American costume designer Jean Louis. From those beginnings he built a career that carried his sequins and showmanship across film, television and the concert stage for more than half a century.

His designs dressed some of the most recognizable figures in entertainment, from Marilyn Monroe to today's pop stars, cementing a style that fused old-Hollywood glamour with unapologetic spectacle.

Bob Mackie, Sultan of Sequins, costume designer, Cher mohawk outfit, Elton John Dodgers costume, Emmy Award designer, Hollywood fashion, Sabrina Carpenter

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
Linda Cardellini Wins First Emmy, Dazzles in Pearl Gown
Next Article
Petrol and Diesel Hit Highest UK Prices Since 2022

Related World Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment