Cher reacts to the death of ‘dear’ longtime friend and collaborator Bob Mackie
Cher reacts to the death of ‘dear’ longtime friend and collaborator Bob Mackie
Raechal ShewfeltMon, September 14, 2026 at 10:31 PM UTC
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Bob Mackie and Cher in 1985Credit: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via GettyKey Points -
Cher remembered fashion designer Bob Mackie after his death.
The two had collaborated on Cher’s looks for decades after meeting in the ‘60s.
Mackie died Monday, Sept. 14.
Cher paid tribute to longtime collaborator Bob Mackie hours after his death at 87 on Monday.
“My dear Bob has gone up to heaven,” Cher wrote on social media. “Knowing him, he’s bringing Sequins, Beads, & his sketch pad. Good nite sweet Prince. Luv, Me.” She added “Dyslexic” to remind people to excuse any errors.
The singer-actress and Mackie met when she appeared on The Carol Burnett Show, which aired from 1967 to 1978, for which he made the costumes. Cher and Mackie hit it off, and he began designing costumes for the “I Got You Babe” star’s The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour when it debuted in 1971. He went on to work on her self-titled series from 1975 to 1976.
They continued working together over the years and some of her most famous looks were designed by him. He also created looks for the likes of Tina Turner, Marilyn Monroe, Diana Ross, and Elton John.
Cher wears Bob Mackie at the 1986 Academy AwardsCredit: Bettmann Archive
The most famous, of course, was her outrageous, skin-baring ensemble for the 1986 Academy Awards, which featured a distinctive wig, sparkly headpiece, bra, and skirt set.
Mackie was also the one behind the Silkwood star’s fishnet look in the video for her 1989 song “If I Could Turn back Time,” even though there was a time he didn’t want people to know that.
Mackie recalled to Yahoo! Entertainment in December 2024 that he only agreed to create what Cher wanted for the project if she kept his participation a secret. The result was a lot of fishnet and not much else.
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“I said, ‘Please don’t tell anyone that I designed this,’” Mackie said. “‘Don’t let anyone know this. I’m embarrassed,’ and she was fine about it. Now she admits that, no, it wasn’t so good.”
He added, “We put a lot of wild, sexy clothes on her at different times. Sometimes I’d say, ‘Well, you can’t wear that for this’ ... an award show or whatever, and she would [disappointedly reply], OK’ But she wanted to wear that. Bicycle pants were in, but see-through bicycle pants are really scary.”
But Mackie said Cher had managed to pull it off.
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“Nobody else could get away with it, let me tell you,” Mackie said. “Who has a figure like that really — and a look that nobody else has?”
Following the fashion icon’s death, Sabrina Carpenter was another pop star remembering Mackie. The “Espresso” singer wrote on her Instagram Stories that she was “terribly devastated” by the news.
“I feel so lucky to have met Bob,” continued Carpenter, who called herself a “Mackie girl forever.” “His one of a kind creations have inspired and brought so much joy and happiness and confidence to my world and they will continue to always.”
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
