The fashion industry just lost one of its greats: Iconic fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie passed away on Monday. He was 87. (This certainly wasn’t the news we wanted to hear during New York Fashion Week.)

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today,” his team posted on his Instagram page. “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. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”

A Los Angeles native, Mackie began his career in costume design, working under designers like Jean Louis and Edith Head. But it was only a matter of time before he became a household name himself: In 1962, he met Cher when she guest-starred on “The Carol Burnett Show” (where he worked at the time), and he eventually began designing gowns for her.

He outfitted her on “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour,” “Cher” and “The Sonny and Cher Show,” winning several Emmys and a Tony in the process; and designed extravagant gowns for her red carpet events — including the infamous “naked dress” she sported at the 1974 Met Gala. In 2019, he spoke to Fashionista about his decades-long partnership with the singer: “Every time [Cher] wore one of those get-ups, it would be in the paper the next day — all over the country,” he reflected. “Then for years [after], when they talk about red carpet, they’d print [one of her looks] and they’d either hate it or love it or whatever. But it wasn’t fashion. It was like, ‘look at me!’”

But Cher wasn’t Mackie’s only client — he became a go-to for other Hollywood megastars, including Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. His work has continued to be embraced by the new generation of stars — Zendaya and Miley Cyrus have pulled from his archives — and fashion collectors have spent thousands buying his pieces at auction.

Mackie’s groundbreaking looks have forever made their mark in the fashion history books and his legacy will never be forgotten.

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