A representative for Mackie said he died of pneumonia at 10.40am on September 14. His team announced his death through his official social media account, saying he had spent his life fulfilling his ambition to be a fashion and costume designer.
Mackie’s death prompted tributes from performers whose public images were closely associated with his work. Cher, his most famous collaborator, described him as a dear friend. Their partnership stretched across television, concerts, awards ceremonies and some of the most recognised celebrity costumes of the past half-century.
Mackie became synonymous with a theatrical form of glamour built around crystal, beadwork, feathers, illusion fabric and body-conscious silhouettes. His clothes could be extravagant, comic or provocative, but they were conceived primarily for performance. He repeatedly said costume design had to serve the person, the movement and the moment rather than function simply as fashion.
That approach made him indispensable to television variety shows. He designed costumes for the entire 11-season run of The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1978, creating looks each week for sketches, musical numbers and guest stars. His work ranged from elegant gowns to absurd visual jokes, often requiring costumes to deliver a punchline instantly.
The best-known example was Burnett’s green velvet curtain dress for the 1976 “Went With the Wind” parody. The costume became one of American television comedy’s most recognisable images and later entered the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The costume retained the curtain rod across Burnett’s shoulders, turning the garment itself into the visual punchline of the sketch.
His work with Cher pushed in a different direction. Mackie created daring evening clothes and stage costumes that relied on intricate beading, feathers and strategically placed embellishment. He designed for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and continued working with the singer through concert tours, helping establish a visual identity joining glamour, wit and calculated risk.
Among their most famous collaborations was Cher’s black feathered ensemble at the 1986 Academy Awards, remembered for its towering headpiece. Mackie also designed costumes for her later tours, winning Emmy recognition for work including Cher: Live in Concert and Cher: The Farewell Tour.
His client list extended far beyond those two performers. Mackie dressed Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Ann-Margret, Bette Midler, Elton John and others, often working with artists. His designs became associated with performers who wanted clothes capable of projecting personality from a stage or television screen.
Mackie won nine Emmy Awards and received 32 Emmy nominations, according to the Television Academy, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also nominated three times for the Academy Award for costume design, for Lady Sings the Blues, Funny Lady and Pennies from Heaven.
Broadway brought another major honour. Mackie won the 2019 Tony Award for best costume design of a musical for The Cher Show, which required him to revisit and reinterpret decades of outfits associated with the singer for a theatrical production.
Born Robert Gordon Mackie on March 24, 1939, in Monterey Park, California, he studied at Pasadena City College and the Chouinard Art Institute before entering Hollywood as a sketch artist. Early in his career he worked with designers including Jean Louis and Edith Head, learning the studio craft of translating ideas into costumes built for cameras and performers.
One early assignment was sketching the form-fitting gown Jean Louis created for Marilyn Monroe when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Mackie later worked with designer Ray Aghayan on The Judy Garland Show, beginning a professional and personal partnership that helped establish him in television.
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