Bob Mackie, Famed Fashion Designer to Cher and More, Dead at 87 — SkimNews
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- Bob Mackie died at 87, according to a statement posted to his Instagram; no cause of death was given, with the statement noting he 'lived his 87 years to the fullest.'
- Cher and Mackie's six-decade partnership produced iconic looks for The Cher Show, the Met Gala, and her tours — including a midriff-baring costume that made her the first person approved to show her belly button on television.
- The Carol Burnett Show served as Mackie's big break, where he designed an average of 60 costumes a week, including a campy curtain-and-rod ensemble for a Gone With the Wind sketch.
- Ray Aghayan, Mackie's design and romantic partner from 1963 until Aghayan's 2011 death, shared three Academy Award costume-design nominations with him for Lady Sings the Blues, Funny Lady, and Pennies from Heaven.
- Mattel tapped Mackie in the 1980s for limited-edition collectible Barbies, where he pushed the toy giant to release dolls of diverse ethnicities and dressed them in heritage-reflecting outfits.
- Mackie earned nine Emmy Awards from more than 30 nominations and a 2019 Tony for The Cher Show, and was the first costume designer inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2002.
- Modern stars including Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus have all worn archival Mackie looks — the women who wear his work carry on the 'Mackie Girls' mantle.
Why it matters: Mackie's death closes a chapter on Hollywood's most flamboyant costumer, whose six-decade reign shaped red-carpet glamour from Cher's 1970s tours to today's pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Beyoncé still pulling from his archive. His 1980s push for diverse Barbie dolls made him an early industry voice for representation in mainstream fashion and toys.
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