Bob Mackie

Robert Gordon Mackie was born on March 24, 1939, in Monterey Park, California — and from his very earliest years, he was captivated by the magic of the movies. As a toddler of two or three, he was taken to the cinema by his mother and older sister, where he sat transfixed by musicals and Technicolor spectacles, instinctively reaching for crayons to sketch the gowns he saw on screen. Raised partly by his maternal grandparents in Alhambra and later by his father in Rosemead, the young Mackie declared early and with total certainty that he would become a costume designer — to the skepticism of his family, and the enduring vindication of history. After attending Rosemead High School and Pasadena City College, Mackie enrolled at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, where he studied under fashion design department head Eva Roberts. He left before completing his degree, drawn into the real world of Hollywood costume at Paramount Studios in 1961, where he worked as a sketch artist for the legendary Edith Head and Jean Louis. Among his earliest and most historic assignments: drawing the original sketch for Marilyn Monroe's shimmering "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress, worn at Madison Square Garden in 1962. He also found his lifelong creative partner and companion, Ray Aghayan, with whom he worked and lived for nearly fifty years. His television breakthrough came in 1966, when Mitzi Gaynor hired him for her Las Vegas revue. A year later, Carol Burnett chose him to design for "The Carol Burnett Show," a partnership that would span eleven seasons and an average of sixty costumes a week. The work earned him the first-ever Emmy Award for costume design. Then came Cher. Beginning in 1971 on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour," their partnership redefined glamour on television. His "naked illusion" gowns — form-fitting dresses of sheer mesh, elaborate beading, and breathtaking audacity — became the signature of an era. Nicknames followed naturally: the Sultan of Sequins, the Rajah of Rhinestones, the Guru of Glitter. Mackie's artistry extended far beyond the small screen. He earned three Academy Award nominations, won nine Emmy Awards from thirty-two nominations, designed the long-running Las Vegas spectacular "Jubilee!," launched ready-to-wear and QVC collections, created a celebrated line of Bob Mackie Barbie dolls beginning in 1990, and in 2019 claimed the Tony Award for Best Costume Design for "The Cher Show" on Broadway. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2002. In his final years, living in Palm Springs, his archive designs were embraced by a new generation of stars — Miley Cyrus, Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift — proof that his vision of unapologetic glamour was timeless. Modest, soft-spoken, and devoid of ego despite his legendary six-decade career, Bob Mackie continued designing until the very end. He passed away on September 14, 2026, at age 87, from pneumonia, in Palm Springs, California. He is survived by a granddaughter and two great-grandchildren. He leaves behind not just thousands of breathtaking costumes, but a philosophy of joyful, fearless self-expression — stitched in sequins and built to last forever.