Following the death of Dolly Parton on August 25, 2026, at age 80, costume designer Bob Mackie posted a tribute to the singer on Instagram, remembering her as a generous and easy collaborator over decades of working together. "She was a joy and pleasure to dress," Mackie wrote, adding that she was fair to everyone around her and would be missed.
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Mackie, now 87, is one of the most decorated costume designers in American entertainment, with nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and a CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award to his name. Known for figure-hugging, heavily embellished gowns built around feathers, fringe and rhinestones, he built his career dressing performers including Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Elton John, earning a reputation for clothing designed, in his own words, for women unafraid to be noticed.
That sensibility made him a natural match for Parton, whose stage persona was built on the same principle of maximum visibility. Among their most documented collaborations is the whimsical butterfly gown Mackie designed for Parton's 1979 television special "Dolly & Carol in Nashville," a heavily beaded piece that became one of the defining images of her early television career and an early example of the rhinestone-heavy aesthetic she would carry for the rest of her life.
Designer Bob Mackie honors 'lovely soul' Dolly Parton: 'She was a joy and pleasure to dress' https://t.co/6L3nnj4bGn pic.twitter.com/xgrmXIKuuh
— New York Post (@nypost) August 26, 2026
Mackie's tribute places him among a specific category of mourners: fashion-industry figures who worked directly on Parton's image rather than simply admired it from a distance. Where entertainers largely responded to her music and personality, Mackie's statement speaks to the physical construction of her look — the fittings, the beadwork, the decisions about silhouette and sparkle that turned Parton's stated philosophy of "more is more" into wearable garments. His description of her as fair and easy to work with offers a rare glimpse into that collaborative relationship from the person who helped build it.
The tribute also underscores Mackie's own continued relevance in fashion nearly six decades into his career. His archive has resurfaced repeatedly in recent years as younger stars borrow from it, and his statement on Parton joins a small number of direct designer responses to her death, distinct from the broader wave of tributes from actors and musicians who worked with her on-screen or on record.
[Read more]: Dolly Parton, Dead at 80, Leaves Behind a Fashion Legacy Built on Rhinestones and Reinvention
