Randall Christensen, Former DWTS Costume Designer, Passes Away

Got the most heartbreaking email yesterday from Randall’s publicist, letting me know of his passing 🙁 For those who maybe weren’t around in the earlier years of the show, Randall was the main costume designers for seasons 2-13 of the show, and created some of the most memorable costumes in the history of the show (think Toni Braxton’s Marie Antoinette gown, Nicole Scherzinger’s Prince getup, Derek & Joanna Krupa’s futuristic paso doble outfits).  He was also a great friend of ours here at Pure, and was gracious enough to grant us several interviews over the years, giving us the behind-the-scenes story of some of the costumes.  Per his publicist, Randall had been courageously (but quietly) battling carcinoma for several years. I had always wondered why he had parted ways with the show – did he quit to pursue other opportunities? Was he let go? But I never wanted to offend him or hurt his feelings by asking…now I understand that he was putting his health first. Those of us here at Pure send our deepest condolences and warmest prayers to his family and friends during this difficult time.

Emmy-winning costume designer, Randall Christensen died Sunday, June 16 at the age of 60. Randall
was best known for his dazzling work on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars for 11 seasons. Mr. Christensen
had been struggling with carcinoid cancer for the past several years.
He was born October 7, 1958 in Camden, South Carolina and was a recent resident of Long Beach,
California. Mr. Christensen is survived by his husband, opera singer, Aaron Ball, mother Joan, and
siblings Steven (Kay), Bruce, Dana (Patti), and Valerie Kirkley. He is preceded in death by his father
Hayward and brother Mark.
Winner of the 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety or Music Program (Dancing
with the Stars) and four-time nominee for the Costume Designers Guild Award for Outstanding
Contemporary Television Series (Dancing with the Stars), South Carolina-born costume designer Randall
Christensen delighted performers and audiences alike around the world with his transformative and
iconographic dance and skate costumes and had been proclaimed ‘the next Bob Mackie’ by designer
Bob Mackie himself.
In addition to designing his award-winning creations for Dancing with the Stars for eleven seasons,
Christensen’s stunning gowns can be seen worn by Jennifer Lopez in the film Shall We Dance (2004) and
Mary Steenburgen in the film Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005). Mr.
Christensen’s work can also be seen in the films Take the Lead starring Antonio Banderas (2006), Dance
with Me (1998) with Vanessa Williams, and on television in 20th Century Fox’s award-winning So You
Think You Can Dance and TLC Network’s Ballroom Bootcamp.
Christensen’s company, Randall Designs, has been a leader in the competitive dance and skate costume
industry since 1986 and is based in Phoenix, AZ Christensen also created costumes for Crystal Cruises
and Princess Cruises. Much in demand the world over for his ballroom dance costumes, Christensen wa
also the designer of choice for the world’s top competitive ice skaters. Christensen’s exquisite designs
for Olympic champions Charlie White and Meryl Davies during the 2014 XXII Olympic Winter Games in
Sochi received global notice and praise when White and Davis became the first Americans to win the
Olympic gold medal for ice dancing.
Memorial services will be Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 2:00pm at Brentwood Presbyterian Church, Los
Angeles. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Best Friends Animal Society
at www.bestfriends.org.

If you want to relive some of the magic of Randall’s greatest DWTS creations, you can check out several of the interviews we conducted with him over the years.

2012 interview, part I
2012 interview, part II
Randall’s costume retrospective, season 4, week 1
Randall’s costume retrospective, season 4, week 2
Randall’s costume retrospective, season 4, week 3