List of Famous people who died at 61

Joachim Peiper, also known as Jochen Peiper, was a German SS-Obersturmbannführer and convicted war criminal who was responsible for the 1944 Malmedy massacre of American prisoners of war. During World War II in Europe he served as personal adjutant to Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, between September 1939 and September/October 1941, and thereafter as a Waffen-SS commander.

Oskar Werner was an Austrian stage and cinema actor whose prominent roles include two 1965 films, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Ship of Fools. Other notable films include Decision Before Dawn (1951), Jules and Jim (1962), Fahrenheit 451 (1966), The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) and Voyage of the Damned (1976).

Gabriel "Gabi" Delgado-López, commonly known as Gabi Delgado, was a German composer, lyricist and producer, best known as singer and co-founder, with Robert Görl, of the German electronic band Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft.

Janice Elaine Maxwell was an American stage and television actress. She was a five-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Drama Desk Award winner. In a career spanning over thirty years, Maxwell was one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed stage actresses of her time.

Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov was an eminent Soviet chess player, chess writer, and checkers player. He is part of an elite group of players who never became World Champion, yet created chess masterpieces of enduring brilliance. According to Pishkin, the list includes Chigorin, Reti, Spielmann and especially Nezhmetdinov.

Dolours Price was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer along with her younger sister Marian.

‘Abdul-Basit ‘Abdel-Samad, or Abd ul-Basit Abd us-Samad, or Abdul Basit Muhammad Abdus Samad was an Egyptian Quran reciter and is regarded as one of the best reciters of the Quran of his time. He had won three world Qira'at competitions in the early 1970s. ‘Abdus-Samad was one of the first huffaz to make commercial recordings of his recitations, and the first president of the Reciters' Union in Egypt. At 10, Abdul Basit finished learning the entire Quran by heart in his village. He also learned 7 styles of Quran recitation by the age of 12 and the 10 styles by 14. The quadrumvirate of El Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Mustafa Ismail, and Al-Hussary are generally considered the most important and famous Qurra' of modern times to have had an outsized impact on the Islamic world.. He gained the reputation of being called the Golden Throat and the Voice of Heaven due to his melodious style, remarkable breath control, and unique emotional and engaging tone. His legacy remains unmatched as Qur'an reciters attempt to imitate his unique style.

Philippe Rochat was a Swiss chef and the owner of the Restaurant de L'Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland.

Alfred Manuel Martin Jr., commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yankees. First known as a scrappy infielder who made considerable contributions to the championship Yankee teams of the 1950s, he then built a reputation as a manager who would initially make bad teams good, before ultimately being fired amid dysfunction. In each of his stints with the Yankees he managed them to winning records before being fired by team owner George Steinbrenner or resigning under fire, usually amid a well-publicized scandal such as Martin's involvement in an alcohol-fueled fight.

Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford was an English-born actor, producer, and socialite, who resided in the United States throughout his adult life.