The story begins with a fall. On September 11, Bob Mackie, the costume designer known as the King of Camp, fell at the home of his longtime design director, Joseph McFate, where he was staying in the guest house. His representative said a healthcare professional was with him. Mackie died three days later, on September 14, at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. He was 87.
What the death certificate says
His publicist first told the Associated Press that he died of pneumonia. A death certificate obtained by Us Weekly lists the immediate cause as a subarachnoid hemorrhage and blunt head trauma. The Mayo Clinic describes a subarachnoid hemorrhage as a type of stroke, with bleeding between the brain and the tissues covering it. His representative clarified that Mackie was also suffering from pneumonia both before and after he was hospitalized. According to the certificate, he was cremated on September 17 and his ashes were scattered off San Diego.
His team announced the death on Instagram: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today.” The statement added that he had lived “fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do.”
Sequins, fringe and showgirl glamour
Mackie dressed Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus in fringe and sparkle. He was best known for decades of work with Cher, and for his designs on The Carol Burnett Show, maximalist costumes that came to define variety-TV extravagance. The nickname “Sultan of Sequins” came from his high-drama glamour and intricate beading.
Designer Tom Ford wrote to The Times in a 2019 email that costume designers have long been overlooked for shaping mainstream fashion. In his view, many of the body-fitting, seemingly transparent, heavily beaded gowns on red carpets today are derivative of what Mackie made for Ross and Cher. Those images, Ford said, became part of the fashion landscape of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and part of his own references. Mackie’s line that his clothes are “for the woman who is not afraid to be noticed” is, Ford added, “one of my mantras.”
Tributes from the people he dressed
Elton John wrote that every time he put on something Mackie made, he felt “very, very special.” Those costumes, he said, were works of art. Cher posted on X: “Bob has gone up to heaven. Knowing him, he’s bringing Sequins, Beads, & his sketch pad. Good nite sweet Prince.”
Sources
- 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: How to watch, where to stream live for free, musical guests and more
- Surprising cause of death for costume design legend Bob Mackie is revealed
- Bob Mackie's cause of death as sad details confirmed
Photo: Larry Bessel, Los Angeles Times (CC BY 4.0)
