Bob Mackie, 1939 – 2026

Costumer extraordinaire Bob Mackie, 87, died on Sept. 14. Known as "The Sultan of Sequins" and "The Rajah of Rhinestones," Mackie most famously designed both high-glam and high-comedy costumes for Carol Burnett’s and Cher’s variety shows (his “Went with the Wind” costume for Burnett caused one of the longest laughs in her show’s history). Mackie started his career working for Edith Head and Jean Louis, and was soon designing for Vegas shows, Mitzi Gaynor, The Supremes, Ann-Margret, Liza Minnelli, and Ru Paul, among others (he also designed for about a dozen Broadway shows). Last year, Mackie told Interview, “Working with Carol Burnett was just amazing, I loved doing comedy. And she was a big movie fan, so when we would do spoofs on movies, she understood exactly where I was going with it and I understood what she was thinking. There are some designers that they’re so intent on being funny that it’s goofy, it’s like seeing a clown at a parade. You want it to be more clever than that.”