OBITUARY-Bob Mackie, fashion designer for the stars, dies at 87

Sept 14 (Reuters) – Hollywood designer Bob Mackie, known for making stars such as Cher and Elton John sparkle, died on Monday at 87, according to a post on his official Instagram account.

His career spanned five decades and included designing a Barbie doll clothes collection.

Born in 1939 into a middle-class family in Monterey Park, California, he was nominated for more than 30 Emmys, winning nine. He received Academy Award nominations for costumes worn in the films “Lady Sings the Blues,” “Funny Lady,” and “Pennies From Heaven.”

“His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world,” his team said in an Instagram post. His cause of death was not stated.

Mackie was known for sequins, rhinestones and glitter, but also humor. The highlight of his 11-year run for The Carol Burnett Show was the “curtain dress” worn by Burnett in a sketch parodying 1939 film classic “Gone with the Wind.” The costume, now in the collection of the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, included a brass curtain rod balanced on Burnett’s shoulders and a bit of valance worn as a hat. 

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Donna Bryson and Nia Williams)