In short:
Bob Mackie, the fashion designer who worked with stars including Cher and Elton John, has died aged 87.
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who → work → Cher
Mackie attended the 1974 Met Gala with Cher on his arm dressed in what is perhaps one of the most famous so-called naked dresses of all time.
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what → attend → time
His career spanned five decades and included designing a Barbie doll clothes collection.
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career → span → collection
Hollywood designer Bob Mackie, known for making stars such as Cher and Elton John sparkle, has died at 87.
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stars → know → 87
"He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do," a statement said on his social media accounts.
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statement → live → accounts
Mackie died in Palm Springs, California, from pneumonia, his publicist said.
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publicist → die → pneumonia
Dubbed the Designer to the Stars, Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars, including one for Barbra Streisand's Funny Lady, in which she wore a sheer bat-wing gown.
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she → dub → gown
He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2002.
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He → induct → 2002
He designed gowns for Madonna, Streisand, Sharon Stone, Diana Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and concert costumes for Pink.
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He → design → Pink
Mackie sketched the sheer, beaded gown Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang Happy Birthday at a fundraiser for President John F. Kennedy and the Democratic National Committee.
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she → sketch → Kennedy
More recently, Taylor Swift turned to some Mackie originals for the cover of her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl.
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Swift → turn → Showgirl
Mackie attended the 1974 Met Gala with Cher on his arm, dressed in what is perhaps one of the most famous so-called naked dresses of all time: a sheer beaded gown with white feathered sleeves and a white feathered skirt.
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what → attend → sleeves
She and the dress ended up on the cover of Time magazine.
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She → end → magazine
Looks such as the 1986 beaded spider web — worn with a complementary Mohawk — and the barely-there gown she wore for her Best Actress win in 1988 turned heads and set tongues wagging at the time.
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she → wear → time
The outfits are sometimes mistaken for fashion, but they're costumes like for a character in a play," Mackie said in 1999.
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Mackie → mistake → 1999
"I want people to have fun.
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people → want → fun
I want people to say 'Wasn't that interesting?' or 'Wasn't that wild?'''
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that → want → ?
Mackie had some retail success in the 1980s and '90s, launching a ready-to-wear line in 1982 that would ultimately land on the runway at New York Fashion Week, and he was an early partner of QVC.
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he → have → QVC
Mackie also created dozens of different Barbie dolls for Mattel, with a wide variety of face sculpts, body types and storylines.
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Mackie → create → sculpts
The documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion debuted in 2024.
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documentary → debut → 2024
A Mackie dress Cher wore in 1975 was auctioned off in 2024 for $US101,600 ($142,000), 25 times its original estimate.
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Cher → wear → US101,600
Elton John was among those paying tribute, writing on Instagram, "Every time I put something on that Bob made, I felt very, very special.
"
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I → pay → that
His costumes were works of art, and he will go down as one of the most legendary designers ever in Hollywood.''
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he → go → Hollywood
Actor Kristin Chenoweth called him a "legend", and designer Isaac Mizrahi wrote, simply, "heartbroken".
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Mizrahi → call → him
Singer Sabrina Carpenter wrote on Instagram that she felt "so lucky to have met Bob.
"
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she → write → Bob
His one-of-a-kind creations have inspired and brought so much happiness and confidence to my world, and they will continue to always x Mackie girl forever."
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they → inspire → world
Actor Alyssa Milano called him "one of the best that ever was".
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that → call → best
The Aporia
