List of Famous people who died at 80

Clifford James Geertz was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology, and who was considered "for three decades...the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States." He served until his death as professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.

Germaine Guex was a Swiss psychologist. She was particularly known for her work on abandonment syndrome in psychoanalysis.

Richard Henry Dalitz, FRS was an Australian physicist known for his work in particle physics.

Fayga Perla Ostrower was an engraver, painter, designer, illustrator, art theorist and university professor.

James Terry Sanford was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford was the 65th Governor of North Carolina (1961–1965), a two-time U.S. Presidential candidate in the 1970s and a U.S. Senator (1986–1993). Sanford was a strong proponent of public education and introduced a number of reforms and new programs in North Carolina's schools and institutions of higher education as the state's governor, increasing funding for education and establishing the North Carolina Fund. From 1969 to 1985, Sanford was President of Duke University.