Bob Mackie, designer who dressed Cher and Madonna, dies at 87 Bob Mackie, the celebrated designer known for dressing stars including Cher and Madonna and defining 1970s glamour, has died at 87. Mackie was photographed at the 27th Costume Designers Guild Awards in Los Angeles on February 6, 2025. Bob Mackie, the designer whose work helped define 1970s glamour and who dressed stars including Cher and Madonna, has died at 87. His death marks the loss of one of the most recognizable names in American fashion and entertainment design. Mackie became closely associated with show-business style, creating clothing for performers whose public images were shaped as much by what they wore as by their music and performances. His name became linked with theatrical glamour, polished spectacle and designs made to stand out under bright lights. Cher and Madonna were among the stars he dressed.Their association with Mackie helped reinforce his reputation as a designer who understood how clothing could become part of a performer's identity and command attention beyond the stage. Mackie was also identified with the glamour of the 1970s, a period when television, music and celebrity culture were increasingly connected. His work reflected that era's appetite for bold, highly visible fashion and made him a defining figure in entertainment style.The designer remained part of the fashion and awards community late in life. Mackie appeared at the 27th Costume Designers Guild Awards in Los Angeles on February 6, 2025, according to an Associated Press file photograph. The photograph, credited to Chris Pizzello of the Associated Press, records one of Mackie's final public appearances listed in the available report.It shows that he continued to be recognized within the professional community whose work celebrates costume and character on screen and on stage. Mackie's influence extended beyond individual garments. By dressing performers with instantly recognizable public personas, he helped demonstrate how costume can shape the way audiences understand a star and can become inseparable from an era of popular culture. His work for Cher and Madonna stands as a central part of that legacy.Both names remain strongly associated with performance, image and reinvention, qualities that made Mackie's designs especially suited to their careers. Mackie's death at 87 closes a career defined by collaboration with major entertainers and by a distinctive approach to glamour. His contribution is remembered through the stars he dressed, the 1970s style he helped define and the lasting place of costume in celebrity culture.