RIP Bob Mackie

 

Bob Mackie, legendary designer who dressed Cher and Diana Ross, dies at 87

Known as the “sultan of sequins,” Mackie dressed some of Hollywood’s biggest names over more than 50 years.

NBC News

By Alicia Victoria Lozano

September 14, 2026

 

Legendary fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie, whose sequined gowns for Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and other stars dazzled red carpets for decades, has sewn his final stitch.

Mackie died Monday at 87, according to a post on his Instagram account.

“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,” the post read. “His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”

Known as the “sultan of sequins,” Mackie dressed some of Hollywood’s biggest names over more than 50 years. His creations for celebrities like Carol Burnett, Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand stunned both performers and fans alike.

Born in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park, Mackie started out as a costume design sketch artist in 1961 before being tapped to create a new look for actress, singer and dancer Mitzi Gaynor in 1966, according to a short biography on his website.

“This was a marriage made in heaven with dance, glamour and comedy all in one package,” the biography read.

His first independent creations caught Burnett’s attention. Her producer hired him to design the complete wardrobe for “The Carol Burnett Show,” a post he held for 11 seasons.

A star was born.

In 1999 he won an Emmy for “Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas” and another in 2003 for “Cher: The Farewell Tour,” according to the biography on his website.

In 1982, Mackie launched a ready-to-wear collection and a line of collectable Barbie dolls, which featured red carpet-ready dresses complete with headdresses, dramatic long trains and his signature sequins glow.

Mackie won nine Emmy Awards and three Oscar nods over the course of his illustrious career. He was nominated for 30 Emmys.

“Women who wear Mackie dare to be noticed, and many of the entertainment industries biggest and brightest stars are still clamoring to be dressed by him,” the posted biography reads. “With his choice of vibrant colors, luxurious fabrics, and intricate detail, Bob Mackie’s work continues to exude timeless glamour.”

MACKIE, Bob (Robert Gordon Mackie)

Born: 3/24/1939, Monterey Park, California, U.S.A.

Died: 9/14/2026,

 

Bob Mackie’s western – costume designer:

The Villain – 1979

RIP David Worth

 

In Memoriam: DAVID WORTH, Director of Kickboxer and Cinematic Architect of Bloodsport, Dies at 86

Film Combat Syndicate

By Mike Garcia

September 8, 2026

 

The martial arts film community is in mourning following the passing of legendary cinematographer, director, and B-movie maestro David Worth, who died on September 7, 2026, at the age of 86. Worth leaves behind an indelible blueprint on the action genre, having served as the visual architect for Bloodsport (1988) and the director behind the global phenomenon Kickboxer (1989)

Leading the tributes was action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose early career was profoundly shaped by Worth’s eye for combat choreography and cinematic style. “From Bloodsport to Kickboxer, David’s talent and vision helped create two martial arts classics that changed my life,” Van Damme shared in an emotional statement. “Thank you for your friendship and for the magic we made together. Rest in peace, my friend. You will always be part of my journey.”

David Worth didn’t just capture fights; he helped craft the aesthetic that defined late-80s and early-90s action cinema. His break into the upper echelons of martial arts lore came when he served as the Director of Photography on Bloodsport. His framing of the underground “Kumite” and stars like Van Damme and Bolo Yeung turned a low-budget feature into an international cult classic.

Recognizing his sharp instincts, production quickly tapped him to step into the director’s chair for Kickboxer (1989). Filmed on location in Thailand, Worth brilliantly juxtaposed the serene, rich cultural backdrops of ancient temples with the raw, brutal intensity of underground Muay Thai arenas. He was instrumental in managing the camera placements around Van Damme’s custom-choreographed fight sequences, helping to birth the iconic, slow-motion spinning kicks and grueling training montages that generations of martial artists still replicate today. Kickboxer is widely credited as the landmark film that popularized Muay Thai globally.

Beyond his legendary collaborations with JCVD, Worth was a relentless, passionate filmmaker who was deeply respected by actors and indie crews alike, Co-stars and crew members, including Kickboxer villain Michel Qissi (Tong Po), shared their pride in having worked with him. Up-and-coming filmmakers frequently remembered Worth as a deeply encouraging mentor who maintained an infectious, relentless passion for the craft even late into his career. Genre staple Cynthia Rothrockmourned the loss of her long-time friend, who directed her in the beloved action vehicles Lady Dragon (1992) and Lady Dragon 2 (1993).

Worth was incredibly versatile, handling cinematography for mainstream features like Clint Eastwood’s Bronco Billy (1980) and Any Which Way You Can (1980), while later directing cult camp pieces like Shark Attack 2 (2000) and Shark Attack 3: Megalodon

David Worth didn’t need massive Hollywood budgets to create cinematic magic. Armed with an innate understanding of lighting, timing, and raw human movement, he gave audiences timeless spectacles of honor, resilience, and triumph. While the maestro behind the lens is gone, his frame-by-frame contributions to action cinema will live on forever.

WORTH, David (David Paul Wertheimer)

Born: 3/2/1940, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Died: 9/7/2026, Sunland, California, U.S.A.

 

David Burth’s westerns – cinematographer:

Bloody Trail – 1972 [cinematographer, editor, production manager]

To Hell You Preach – 1972 [cinematographer]

The Legend of Frank Woods – 1977 [cinematographer]

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (TV) – 1977-1978[cinematographer]

Bronco Billy – 1980 [cinematographer]

Contested Ground – 2016 [technical advisor]

The Big Muddy (TV) 2017 [cinematographer]

RIP Jeremy Thomas

 

Jeremy Thomas, Oscar-Winning Producer for Bertolucci, Cronenberg, and Herzog’s ‘Bucking Fastard,’ Dead at 77

Jeremy Thomas won the Best Picture Oscar in 1988 for Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor." He's a key talking head in Luca Guadagnino's new documentary about the Italian filmmaker," "Joie de Vivre," which just premiered in Venice.

Indie Wire

By Ryan Lattanzio

September 12, 2026

 

Jeremy Thomas put his weight behind some of the riskiest — and most fondly remembered — pictures in Hollywood across a nearly 60-year-long career. The UK-based Thomas died on September 11 at age 77, as confirmed by his family in a statement. (Via Deadline.)

“Jeremy Thomas, the celebrated British producer of ‘The Last Emperor’ and of over 40 other films, has died, at the age of 77,” the statement reads. “Thomas passed away peacefully at his country home in Oxfordshire late on Friday 11th, surrounded by his family and loved ones.”

Thomas is best known for his collaborations with David Cronenberg (the kinky 1996 “Crash” that stoked jury president Francis Ford Coppola’s ire at the Cannes Film Festival), Bernardo Bertolucci (“The Last Emperor,” which won the Best Picture Oscar), Jonathan Glazer (“Sexy Beast”), Phillip Noyce (“Rabbit-Proof Fence”), and Jim Jarmusch (“Only Lovers Left Alive”), among other auteurs. Thomas also produced Nicolas Roeg’s trippy psychodrama “Bad Timing,” which continued the British director’s streak of brilliant offbeat arthouse movies after “Walkabout” and “Don’t Look Now.”

Thomas also produced Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” and “Naked Lunch.” He worked with Terry Gilliam on the auteur’s hugely controversial 2005 film “Tideland,” which starred Jeff Bridges and depicted a small child navigating a nightmarish adult world. Another of Thomas’ credits includes Nagisa Oshima’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” from 1983, starring David Bowie, and now synonymous with Ryuichi Sakamoto’s piano score.

While not in attendance at the Venice Film Festival, Thomas’ presence was felt in the selection in a couple of ways. One of his final producing credits was on Werner Herzog’s Venice competition title “Bucking Fastard,” starring Rooney and Kate Mara. He also produced Takashi Miike’s stab at the “Bad Lieutenant” universe (realized previously by Herzog and Abel Ferrara over the years) with “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,” premiering this week at TIFF. Thomas is also one of the key talking heads in Luca Guadagnino’s seven-hour documentary about Bernardo Bertolucci, “Joie de Vivre,” as Thomas also produced “Stealing Beauty,” “The Sheltering Sky,” “Little Buddha,” and “The Dreamers.”

Thomas was born on July 26, 1949, moving into a life of making films at a young age. He founded the Recorded Picture Company in the 1970s, launching with Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Cannes winner “The Shout.” The excellent cult psychological thriller stars Alan Bates, Susannah York, and John Hurt, and is coming to the Criterion Collection this fall.

He is most remembered for “Crash,” Cronenberg’s J. G. Ballard adaptation about sexual deviants with a car-crash fetish and especially around reliving the deaths of Jayne Mansfield and James Dean. The film weathered censorship concerns to become a cult classic. It was “The Last Emperor” that won him the Oscar for Best Picture. Bertolucci’s 1987 Chinese epic was independently financed and took three years to make.

THOMAS, Jeremy (Jeremy Jack Thomas)

Born: 7/26/1949, London, England, U.K.

Died: 9/12/2026, Oxfordshire, England, U.K.

 

Jeremy Thomas’s westerns – producr:

Mad Dog Morgan – 1976

The Dead Don’t Hurt – 2023

RIP Delfin Amaya

Delfín Amaya, member of the Catalan rumba duo Los Amaya, dies at the age of 74

rtve

8/19/2026

 

Delfín Amaya, a member of the Catalan rumba duo Los Amaya, together with his brother José, with whom he popularized songs such as 'Caramelos', 'Vete', 'Qué mala suerte la mía!', 'Mujer' or 'Amor, amor', has died in Barcelona at the age of 74.

The Amayas, relatives of the famous dancer Carmen Amaya, became during their career one of the greatest exponents of the so-called Catalan rumba, the festive musical genre created by the gypsy community of Barcelona, which combines flamenco rumba with pop melodies and Latin rhythms.

Born in Oviedo in 1952, Delfín Amaya, who sang and played the guitar, formed with his brother Los Amaya and their gypsy combo at the end of the 60s and published their first album in 1969, a repertoire of varied songs with a flamenco accent.

In 1971 they became known to the general public with the song 'Caramelos', the year in which they also published 'Ya la pagarás'.

In 1978 they signed with RCA, with Tony Ronald as producer, who boosted their career with songs such as 'Vete', 'La inyección', 'Amor, amor' or 'Decir a ella que vuelva'.

In 1992 they participated in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, in a performance in which they shared the stage with other exponents of Catalan rumba, such as Peret and Los Manolos.

As a result of this collaboration, the album Rumbas de Clausura appeared, in which Peret and Los Amaya sang the songs 'Gitana Hechicera', 'Soy la Rumba', 'Una lágrima', 'Borriquito', 'Vete' or 'No se Pué Aguantar'.

The duo's latest album was released in 2013 with the title Vuelven... Los Amaya, a compilation of their greatest hits.

AMAYA, Delfin

Born: 5/24/1952, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

Died: 8/17/2026 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

 

Delfin Amaya’s western – musician:

800 Balas [guitar on “The Good, the Bad & the Ugly”]

RIP Mike McFarland

 

Mike McFarland Dies: ‘One Piece’, ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Voice Actor Was 56

DEADLINE

By Denise Petski

September 10, 2026

 

Mike McFarland, known as the English voices of Master Roshi and Yajirobe in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Buggy the Clown in One Piece and many other anime works, died September 10 of brain cancer. He was 56.

Also a script writer, director and line producer, McFarland was one of the original and most influential figures in Texas-based anime production, first with Funimation and then Crunchyroll after their merger.

“Mike brought so much to all of us who knew him, and to all of the anime fans that knew his work. He was an incredible talent, a good friend to so many of us, and will be sorely, sorely missed,” Crunchyroll said in a statement to Deadline.

McFarland was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2025, according to Anime News Network.

McFarland also voiced Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist and Teppei Sugo in Psycho-Pass, but his most notable role was Buggy the Clown in One Piece, voicing the character from 2007 until his death.

Additional voice acting credits include Makoto Hyuga in the Evangelion film series, Sky Master in Heaven’s Lost Property, Goemon Ishikawa in Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and other Lupin III films, as well as George in Case Closed. His more recent work includes Hiroshi Odokawa in Odd Taxi, Big Bad Wolf in Date A Live IV and E.G. Mine in Trigun Stampede.

McFARLAND, Mike

Born: 7/14/1970, Texas City, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 9/10/2026, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.

 

Mike McFarland’s westerns – voice actor:

El Cazador de la Bruja – 2007 [Transvestite A, Eye Patch Man]

The Gunstringer – 2011 [additional voices]

Appare-Ranman! – 2020 [additional voices]

RIP Roney Facchini

 

Roney Facchini, actor of 'Cheias de Charme', 'Malhação' and 'Rá-Tim-Bum', dies at the age of 73

Actor had a career in theater, film and television and died this Sunday (6).

G1

9/2/2026

 

Actor Roney Facchini, known for his work in productions such as "Cheias de Charme", "Malhação" and "Rá-Tim-Bum", died this Sunday (6), at the age of 73. The information was confirmed by the artist's partner.

According to her husband, João Paulo, Facchini suffered a sudden illness inside the car, after leaving the garage of the building where he lived, in São Paulo. The Samu was activated and the actor was taken to the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital, but he did not resist.

The news of the death was also released by the Bibi Ferreira Award, dedicated to Brazilian musical theater. The farewell ceremony has not yet been defined.

Career

Born in São Paulo, on February 6, 1953, Roney Facchini had a career marked by work in theater, cinema and television.

On TV Cultura, he gained prominence when he played Luís, patriarch of the Silva family, in the children's series "Rá-Tim-Bum", aired between 1990 and 1994.

On TV Globo, he participated in productions such as "Malhação", "A Diarista", "Caras & Bocas" and "Cheias de Charme". He was also in the cast of "Bang Bang", "Minha Nada Mole Vida" and "Pé na Cova".

In cinema, Facchini acted in films such as "Cilada.com", "Vai Que Dá Certo", "Meu Amigo Hindu" and "Polícia Federal: A Lei é Para Todos".

In addition to his artistic career, the actor had a degree in Civil Engineering from the Mauá School of Engineering, in 1977.

Facchini's death was mourned by colleagues and friends on social networks, including Enrique Diaz, Lucio Mauro Filho, Blota Filho, Claudio Lins and Sandra Corveloni.

FACCHINI, Roney (Roney Macedo Facchini)

Born: 2/6/1953, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Died: 9/6/2026, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

 

Roney Facohini’s western – actor:

Bang Bang (TV) – 2005-2006 (Nicola Fellini)

RIP Elio Zamuto

Farewell to Elio Zamuto: the Syracusan voice of Doctor Procton who led the Goldrake generation

With his reassuring voice, he has accompanied generations of Italians in the role of Doctor Procton and numerous protagonists of both the big and small screens.

LA SICILIA

By Fabio Russello

September 9, 2026

 

Passed away on September 9, 2026, at the age of 85, Elio Zamuto, stage name of Elio Mazzamuto. Born in Siracusa on May 1, 1941, actor, voice actor, and voice director, he leaves a deep mark in the world of Italian entertainment and in the memory of entire generations of viewers.

The city of Aretusa maintains a special bond with him: it was his warm, deep, and reassuring voice that gave a sound face to Doctor Procton (Genzo Umon), director of the Space Research Center and adoptive father of Actarus in the legendary series UFO Robot Goldrake, which arrived in Italy in the late 1970s.

For the children who discovered the cartoon in 1978, his performance transformed the scientist into a wise and fatherly presence, a constant guide in the fight against the threats from Vega.

The relationship between Zamuto and the character remained strong over time: the artist returned to voice Procton in the subsequent re-releases of the series and in the feature film UFO Robot Goldrake against Great Mazinger.

Zamuto's career naturally spanned both cinema and voice acting. On the big screen, he was a recognizable face of Italian cinema in the 1970s, particularly standing out in crime films.

At the same time, he built an important career in dubbing, also as a director, lending his voice to numerous actors and animated characters; among the most remembered roles is Professor Shiba in Jeeg Robot d’Acciaio.

With his passing, Siracusa and Italy bid farewell to a great master of voice, an interpreter capable of accompanying and protecting the dreams of an entire generation.

ZAMUTO, Elio (Elio Mazzamuto)

Born: 5/1/1941, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

Died: 9/9/2026, Oriolo, Romano, Italy

 

Elio Zamuto’s westerns – voice actor:

Rin Tin Tin (TV) [1954- 1959 [Italian voice of James Brown]

Bonanza (TV) – 1970s [Italian voice of various actors]

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Colt – 1971 [Italian voice of Craig Hill]

Gunmen and the Holy Ghost – 1972 [Italian voice of Tom Felleghy]

Trinity & Sartana Those Sons of Bitches – 1972 [Italian voice of Romano Puppo]

The Son of Zorro – 1973 [Italian voice of Fernando Sancho]