Designer Bob Mackie, who created looks for Cher, dies in the US
Hollywood costume designer Bob Mackie, known for his work with Cher, Elton John, Madonna and other stars, has died at the age of 87 in Palm Springs, California. The cause of death was pneumonia, his publicist said, according to ABC News Australia.
A statement released on the designer’s social media said that Mackie had lived his 87 years to the fullest and fulfilled his dream of becoming a fashion and costume designer. He was called the “designer to the stars.”
Awards and work in Hollywood
Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, received a Tony Award and was nominated for an Oscar three times. One of the nominations was connected to the film “Funny Lady” starring Barbra Streisand, in which she wore a sheer dress with sleeves resembling bat wings.
In 2002, the designer was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He created dresses for Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as concert costumes for Pink. Mackie also designed the sketch for the sheer beaded dress in which Marilyn Monroe performed Happy Birthday at a benefit event for President John Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee.
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Collaboration with Cher and colleagues’ reactions
Mackie’s work for Cher became his best known. At the 1974 Met Gala, the designer accompanied the singer, who wore a sheer beaded dress with white feathered sleeves and a skirt. Cher and this look later appeared on the cover of Time.
Mackie also created a costume with a beaded spiderweb pattern for her in 1986 and the dress in which Cher received the Oscar for Best Actress in 1988. In 1999, he said that his outfits were sometimes mistakenly perceived as fashion, although they were costumes for characters, and that he wanted to make people feel curiosity and have fun.
Elton John called Mackie’s costumes works of art and the designer himself one of Hollywood’s most legendary figures. Actress Kristin Chenoweth called him a legend, designer Isaac Mizrahi wrote that he was saddened by the death of his colleague, and singer Sabrina Carpenter thanked Mackie for the inspiration, joy and confidence his work gave.
