Cher, Sabrina Carpenter and Pink Remember Bob Mackie

The death of Bob Mackie at 87 closes a long thread in pop performance. His designs did more than dress artists; they made stage clothing part of the spectacle itself. A statement on his Instagram account said he had fulfilled a dream of working in fashion and costume, and that his “genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever.”

Cher, his longest-running collaborator, wrote on X that her “dear Bob has gone up to heaven.” She added, “Knowing him, he’s bringing Sequins, Beads, & his sketch pad. Good nite sweet Prince.” Their partnership produced some of pop’s most recognizable images, including the black, midriff-baring two-piece and towering Mohawk-style headdress Cher wore to the 1986 Oscars. The looks kept escalating from their nightclub and television years, with Mackie recalling how he and Cher tried to top each previous week’s design.

Sabrina Carpenter, who has worn Mackie pieces on stage, shared the announcement on her Instagram Story and said she was “terribly devastated.” Pink called him one of her heroes, writing that he was “loving, wickedly funny and an absolute genius.” Mackie’s clothing also reached Madonna, Carol Burnett, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. That range, from variety shows to contemporary pop sets, maps a career built on sequins without losing its sense of humor.