Bob Mackie, Costume Designer for Cher and Carol Burnett, Dies at 87

Bob Mackie died Sept. 14, 2026, at age 87. His family posted the announcement to his Instagram account and did not disclose a cause of death. "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," the statement said, adding that his designs "will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world." Over more than five decades he dressed Cher, Carol Burnett, and other stage and screen stars. He created more than 450 costumes across 11 seasons of The Carol Burnett Show, including the curtain-rod Scarlett O'Hara gown from the "Went With the Wind" parody. Cher wore his design to the 1986 Academy Awards. He won nine Emmy Awards, received three Oscar nominations, earned a Tony for The Cher Show, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Miley Cyrus performed "Flowers" and won her first Grammy in 2024 in a Mackie design. After Dolly Parton's death he shared sketches of gowns he made for her and said she "was a joy and pleasure to dress." Oprah Winfrey recalled "having a hoot and a holler while wearing Bob Mackie gowns" with Parton on the show "Dolly." Outlets differ on his birth year: one reports 1939, another March 1940. He was born Robert Gordon Mackie in Monterey Park, California, trained at Pasadena City College and Chouinard, and began as a sketch artist in 1961.