Bob Mackie And Lulu Porter's Split, Couple Grew Apart Amid The Designer's Rising Hollywood Career
Bob Mackie has recently passed away on September 14, 2026, at the age of 87. The late designer was once married to Lulu Porter during the '60s.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleLegendary designer Bob Mackie died September 14, 2026, at the age of 87 in Palm Springs from pneumonia, his team announced on Instagram. Cher called him her sweet Prince. Known as the Sultan of Sequins, he defined Hollywood glamour, dressing Cher, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, and Tina Turner, creating 17,000 costumes for The Carol Burnett Show, and sketching Marilyn Monroe's 1962 Happy Birthday dress.
Amid his recent demise, Bob’s personal life has come into the limelight. Although he was in a relationship with Ray Aghayan a few years ago, Bob was also married to the late actress Lulu Porter from 1960 to 1963.
Bob Mackie’s growth in his career was a major reason behind his split from Lulu Porter
Bob Mackie and Lulu Porter’s marriage was brief, but it remained amicable long after it ended. The duo met at the turn of the 1960s when Porter, real name Marianne Wolford, was working as a singer and actress in Los Angeles.
She was performing at Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills, while Mackie was a young art student from Pasadena City College trying to break into costume design after studying at Chouinard. They married on March 14, 1960. Shortly before the wedding, they welcomed their only child, Robert Gordon Jr., called Robin, born in 1959. Robin later became a makeup artist.
For the first two years, their life was centered around family and early jobs. By 1962-63, Mackie’s career began to accelerate rapidly. He had started assisting legendary designers like Jean Louis and Ray Aghayan and was getting assignments on major television shows. This intense career focus became the turning point. Mackie threw himself completely into his fast-growing work in Hollywood costume design, spending long hours in studios and workrooms.
Rather than a public fight or controversy, the couple quietly grew apart as his professional demands increased and their personal paths diverged. They finalized their divorce in 1963 after three years of marriage. There was no hostility in the split. Both continued to speak respectfully of each other, and they maintained a close friendship for more than six decades.
Bob Mackie moved on and started his long-term partnership with designer Ray Aghayan, which lasted until Aghayan’s death in 2011. Porter continued her work as an acting teacher. Despite the divorce, their family bond stayed intact. They later learned they shared a granddaughter through Robin, and remained connected through her and their two great-grandchildren until Mackie’s death.
Bob Mackie’s death was confirmed through a statement on his Instagram page
Bob Mackie passed away on September 14, 2026, in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 87 due to pneumonia. The news was announced by his team on his Instagram page.
In the post, the team mentioned that they were sharing the news with a heavy heart and that Mackie had lived fully, achieving his only dream of becoming a fashion and costume designer. They also noted that his genius and designs would continue to bring beauty to the world. A representative separately confirmed his death to PEOPLE.
Mackie began his career as an assistant to costume designer Jean Louis and gained early attention for sketching Marilyn Monroe's sheer 1962 birthday dress. He went on to define television glamour through The Carol Burnett Show and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
Nicknamed the Sultan of Sequins and Rajah of Rhinestones, he was celebrated for illusion gowns, heavy beadwork, feathers, and fringe. His long list of clients included Cher, with whom he created the iconic 1974 Met Gala feathered look, as well as Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Liza Minnelli, and later stars like Zendaya.
What are your thoughts about Bob Mackie and Lulu Porter’s split? Let us know.
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