Bob Mackie, designer behind Cher's stage looks, dies at 87

Bob Mackie, the costume and fashion designer who dressed Cher, Madonna and Elton John, has died at 87.

The news was announced in a post on his Instagram profile, Billboard reported. He died on Monday in Palm Springs, California. His publicist confirmed the cause of death was pneumonia, according to the Associated Press.

Cher led the tributes with a September 14 post on X. She wrote that her “dear Bob has gone up to heaven” and was bringing “Sequins, Beads, & his sketch pad.” She closed the message with the words “Good nite sweet Prince.”

Sabrina Carpenter shared the announcement of his death on her Instagram Story. She wrote that she was “terribly devastated.”

Pink also paid tribute on Instagram. She wrote she was “gutted to learn that one of her heroes has passed on.”

Mackie worked across stage, screen and music. His credits included long collaborations with Cher and Madonna, work with Elton John, and collaboration with Carol Burnett. He also dressed Marilyn Monroe.

His Hollywood style defined glamour for the 1970s, PBS reported. That work was built for performance: stage lights, television cameras and large rooms. The materials did the talking. Sequins, beads and detailed hand finishing became his signature.

The death was reported in the United States on September 14. Details of funeral or memorial arrangements have not been announced in the verified reports.

For many readers, Mackie’s name is linked most closely to Cher. Their working relationship ran for decades and produced some of her best-known stage outfits. Other performers later sought him for the same reason: clothes that read clearly from the back row and held up on camera.

What makes this stand out is the breadth of the response. Tributes came from performers of different generations, from Cher to Carpenter and Pink. Each pointed to the same thing, a designer whose work helped shape how they presented themselves in public.